The Court of Appeal in Abuja, in a Judgment delivered yesterday (29, May 2025) dismissed the appeal filed by Asue Ighodalo, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, contesting the result of the September 21, 2024, Governorship election.
The appellate Court affirmed Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the legitimately elected Governor of Edo State.
The Court ruled that Ighodalo and the PDP did not present adequate evidence to support their claims of electoral malpractice, including allegations of vote rigging, overvoting, and breaches of the Electoral Act. It concluded that the election was carried out in substantial compliance with legal requirements.
This decision upholds the earlier verdict of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had similarly rejected Ighodalo’s petition.
Following the ruling, the PDP voiced its dissatisfaction with the judgment and declared its plan to challenge the outcome at the Supreme Court. The party described the ruling as a temporary hurdle and maintained its conviction that Ighodalo rightfully won the election.
The September 21 election was hotly contested, with Okpebholo, a former senator, representing the APC after emerging victorious in a closely fought primary.
Ighodalo, a lawyer and businessman, was the PDP’s choice in a bid to retake the state after Governor Godwin Obaseki’s two-term tenure.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced Okpebholo as the winner, a result that the PDP promptly rejected, alleging widespread irregularities. The party approached the Election Petition Tribunal seeking either a cancellation of the election or the declaration of Ighodalo as the legitimate winner. After the Tribunal dismissed the case in early 2025, the PDP escalated the matter to the Court of Appeal in hopes of overturning the decision.
The APC appears set to strengthen its grip on Edo State as preparations for the 2027 general elections begin—pending the outcome of the PDP’s final appeal to the Supreme Court. The nation’s attention now shifts to the apex court, which will ultimately decide the legal battle over the governorship.
