On Thursday, July 10, Edo State Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo and his rival, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, will find out the outcome of their legal dispute regarding the gubernatorial election as the Supreme Court prepares to issue its final ruling. The apex court’s decision will conclude the series of legal challenges concerning the election’s legitimacy. Sources from the Supreme Court indicated on Wednesday that a panel of five Justices will announce their judgment on that date. Last year, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Okpebholo and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the winners of the election. Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) contested this decision in the Election Petition Tribunal and subsequently the Court of Appeal, but they lost both cases and have now appealed to the Supreme Court. The five-judge panel, chaired by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, stated that the judgment delivery date would be communicated to the legal representatives of both parties involved in the appeal. For context, INEC had recognized Okpebholo of the APC as the winner of the September 21, 2024, governorship election, citing he received the majority of votes. However, Ighodalo, who came in second, accused the electoral body of failing to adhere to electoral regulations and alleged that occurrences of over-voting in several polling units could prove he was the rightful winner, not Okpebholo. His allegations were rejected by both the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which upheld Okpebholo’s election. The two courts had been petitioned to annul Okpebholo’s victory due to purported electoral irregularities. The Supreme Court represents the final avenue for resolving such legal disputes in Nigeria.
