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The Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed the election victory of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State.
In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the outcome of the 2024 Edo governorship election.
Delivering its ruling, the Supreme Court noted that the appellants contested the results from 395 out of a total of 5,019 polling units across the state. The court held that the PDP and Ighodalo failed to sufficiently discharge the burden of proof imposed on them under Section 135 of the Electoral Act, which requires petitioners to establish substantial non-compliance with electoral law that could have affected the election’s outcome.
In its judgment, the court also upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal, which earlier struck out evidence from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines admitted at the tribunal stage, deeming them inadmissible. The apex court agreed that the appellants did not present credible, admissible evidence to sustain the two grounds of their petition.
Concluding its decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the appeal lacked merit and dismissed it accordingly. The court, however, made no order as to costs.
With this ruling, Senator Monday Okpebholo’s position as Governor of Edo State stands legally affirmed, bringing an end to months of legal contestation following the hotly contested governorship poll.
