Edo: Supreme Court Affirms Okpebholo’s Election

Edo: Supreme Court Affirms Okpebholo’s Election

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja 

The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State.

On Thursday, a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba unanimously dismissed an appeal from the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Asuerinme Ighodalo, who sought to overturn the results of the governorship election held on September 21, 2024.

The court found no valid reason to change the earlier decisions made by both the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had already declared Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the rightful winner. The Supreme Court stated that Ighodalo did not provide credible evidence to support his claims of election irregularities, such as over-voting and failure to comply with the Electoral Act.

The court noted that Ighodalo failed to present relevant witnesses to back up his case, particularly regarding the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines. It pointed out that the evidence he submitted was insufficient and did not adequately demonstrate any non-compliance in the election process.

Ighodalo had appealed the May 29 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which had dismissed his case and confirmed Okpebholo’s victory. He argued that the appellate court did not properly assess his claims about the election’s conduct. The Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on July 2 after all parties presented their final arguments.

While Ighodalo and the PDP sought to have the court declare him the winner based on the highest number of valid votes, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Okpebholo, and the APC urged the court to reject the appeal and uphold the election results.

The Court of Appeal had previously supported the tribunal’s decision, which dismissed petitions from the PDP and other parties challenging Okpebholo’s election. INEC had announced that Okpebholo received 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who garnered 247,655 votes.

Dissatisfied with the election results, the petitioners claimed that the election was not conducted according to the Electoral Act. They alleged that Okpebholo did not receive the highest number of valid votes and that INEC failed to properly manage sensitive materials used during the election, which they argued led to rigging.

The tribunal found that the petitioners did not provide sufficient evidence to justify overturning the election results. It emphasized that the burden of proof rested on the petitioners, who failed to present competent witnesses to support their claims. The tribunal also noted that many of the witnesses provided hearsay evidence and that the petitioners did not produce key individuals, such as polling agents or presiding officers, to testify.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court’s decision confirmed the earlier rulings, solidifying Governor Okpebholo’s position as the elected leader of Edo State.