Court Upholds Monday Okpebholo’s Election as Edo Governor

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected governor of Edo State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, May 29, 2025, a three-man panel of justices led by Justice Mohamed Danjuma ruled unanimously that the appellants failed to prove that the earlier judgment by the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal amounted to a miscarriage of justice.

The appellate court upheld the Tribunal’s earlier verdict, which had thrown out the petition by the PDP and Ighodalo challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, governorship election. The appellants had alleged widespread irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.

INEC had declared Senator Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo who polled 247,274 votes. Dissatisfied with the result, the PDP candidate challenged the process, demanding the annulment of the result and a fresh election.

In their petition, the PDP and Ighodalo asked the Tribunal to scrutinize results from 133 polling units, citing discrepancies and demanding production of BVAS machines used during the election. However, both the Tribunal and the Appeal Court found no merit in their arguments.

With this ruling, Okpebholo, who was sworn in alongside his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, on November 12, 2024, retains his mandate as Edo State governor.