ABUJA, Nigeria — May 29, 2025
In a significant legal blow to the opposition, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected governor of Edo State, affirming the outcome of the hotly contested September 21, 2024 governorship election.
The ruling, delivered Thursday by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who had challenged Okpebholo’s victory declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a unanimous decision by the three-member panel of justices, the court ruled that the PDP and Ighodalo failed to prove any miscarriage of justice in the earlier ruling of the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal, which had already dismissed their petition.
Justice Danjuma minced no words, describing the appeal as “devoid of merit”, and further affirmed that the tribunal’s judgment was sound, well-reasoned, and legally grounded.
This verdict effectively shuts down one of the PDP’s last hopes of reclaiming power in Edo State, leaving Okpebholo’s mandate intact and legally fortified. Political observers see this as a major consolidation of power for the ruling party in Edo, potentially altering pre-2027 calculations.
While supporters of Governor Okpebholo celebrated the legal affirmation of his mandate, sources within the PDP hinted that the battle may not be entirely over, with murmurs of a possible Supreme Court challenge gaining traction.
Okpebholo was declared winner by INEC in the highly competitive Edo 2024 election, a result that the PDP claimed was marred by irregularities and procedural lapses. But with two courts now ruling in his favor, the legal and political momentum appears to be firmly on his side.
Governor Monday Okpebholo’s seat is now more secure than ever—backed by INEC, cleared by the tribunal, and now stamped by the Appeal Court. For now, the PDP and Ighodalo are out of options—unless they take the fight to the Supreme Court.
Should the PDP choose to appeal further, the Supreme Court showdown could become the final chapter in one of Edo’s most intense electoral sagas.
Stay with us for more updates as this political drama continues to unfold.
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