In a definitive legal victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Supreme Court has upheld the election of Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, affirming earlier rulings by the Court of Appeal and the election tribunal.
The apex court’s five-member panel, led by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, ruled on Thursday that the petition brought by Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lacked merit and failed to substantiate claims of electoral irregularities, unlawful votes, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
This ruling effectively closes the chapter on a fiercely contested election that saw Okpebholo clinch victory with 291,667 votes, ahead of Ighodalo’s 247,274, while Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata trailed with 22,763.
Ighodalo and the PDP, dissatisfied with the electoral process and outcome, had launched a legal challenge seeking to overturn the result, arguing systemic breaches of electoral guidelines.
However, both the election petition tribunal in April 2025 and the Court of Appeal subsequently dismissed the case for lack of credible evidence—a position now reinforced by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court’s judgment, nearly a year after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the APC candidate the winner, cements Okpebholo’s mandate and signals a continued political ascendancy for the APC in Edo State, potentially shaping the party’s momentum ahead of future national contests.
