Edo: Appeal Court Upholds Okpebholo’s Election Victory

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld the election of Monday Okpebholo as the Governor of Edo State, dismissing a challenge brought by the opposition candidate, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A three-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma ruled on Thursday that the appeal lacked merit and failed to show any error in the judgment of the election tribunal, which had earlier affirmed Okpebholo’s victory.

Okpebholo, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), won the September 2024 election with 291,667 votes. His closest rival, Ighodalo, polled 247,274, while Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata came third with 22,763 votes.

Ighodalo has rejected the appellate court’s ruling and says he will take the case to the Supreme Court. The ruling reinforces Okpebholo’s position as the duly elected governor following a closely contested race in the South-South state.