Supreme Court Upholds Okpebholo’s Election as Edo State Governor

 Supreme Court Upholds Okpebholo’s Election as Edo State Governor

The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo.

In a unanimous judgment delivered by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court held that Ighodalo’s petition lacked merit. The court ruled that there was no justification to overturn the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, both of which had declared Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the valid winner of the September 21, 2025, gubernatorial election.

The Supreme Court further stated that the appellant failed to present credible and admissible evidence to prove his claims of electoral malpractice, including allegations of over-voting and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

In its ruling, the court noted that Ighodalo failed to produce relevant witnesses to support key pieces of evidence, particularly those related to the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). It also pointed out that some of the documents submitted were simply “dumped” on the tribunal without clearly establishing irregularities in the 432 polling units cited, out of a total of 4,519 in the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier declared Okpebholo the winner of the poll held on September 21, 2025. According to INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Faruk Kuta, Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Ighodalo who garnered 247,274 votes. Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata came third with 22,763 votes. Fourteen other candidates participated but trailed far behind.

Ighodalo had challenged the results, alleging widespread irregularities and seeking to nullify Okpebholo’s victory.

With the Supreme Court’s verdict, the legal battle over the Edo governorship has come to a definitive close, solidifying Okpebholo’s mandate.