BREAKING: Appeal Court dismisses Ighodalo’s petition, affirms Okpebholo as Edo Governor

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld Senator Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, affirming the validity of the election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Delivering judgment on Thursday, the appellate court ruled that Okpebholo was legitimately declared the winner of the gubernatorial election held on 24 September 2024.

Justice Mohammed Danjuma, who read the lead judgment, dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, describing it as lacking in merit. The court accordingly struck out the case in its entirety.

Justice Danjuma stated that both the PDP and Ighodalo failed to prove that there was a miscarriage of justice in the earlier decision of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had dismissed their petition.

The ruling was a unanimous decision by the three-member panel of Justices of the appellate court.