The legal battle over the 2024 Edo State Governorship poll has finally come to a conclusion with the Supreme Court affirming the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, the Apex Court in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, ruled that the appeal lacked merit and upheld the earlier verdicts of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
The Supreme court held that Ighodalo and the PDP failed to present credible and admissible evidence to support claims of irregularities, including allegations of over-voting and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
According to the Apex Court, the Appellants failed to call relevant witnesses to demonstrate the evidence tendered, particularly, with respect to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines.
Ighodalo had approached the apex court after the Court of Appeal, in its May 29 ruling, affirmed the tribunal’s dismissal of his petition.
Recall, INEC had declared that Governor Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ighodalo, who secured 247,655 votes.
