Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and his challenger, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, will know their fates on Thursday, July 10, as the Supreme Court is set to deliver its final judgment in the legal tussle over the state’s governorship election.
The judgment by the apex court will bring to an end the series of legal battles surrounding the legitimacy of the election.
Sources at the Supreme Court confirmed on Wednesday that the five-member panel of Justices who heard the appeal will announce their decision on July 10.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Governor Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) winners of the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged the result at the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and subsequently at the Court of Appeal — both of which upheld Okpebholo’s victory — before taking their case to the Supreme Court.
The five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, had earlier informed the parties that the date of judgment would be communicated to their counsel.
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It will be recalled that INEC declared Okpebholo winner of the election, having secured the majority of votes cast. Ighodalo, who finished second, rejected the result, alleging that the election was fraught with irregularities and that INEC failed to comply with electoral guidelines.
He also claimed that incidents of over-voting in several polling units, if corrected, would show that he was the actual winner.
These claims were dismissed by both the tribunal and the appellate court, which affirmed Okpebholo’s election.
Ighodalo and the PDP had urged the lower courts to annul Okpebholo’s victory on grounds of alleged irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act — a plea the courts declined.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on July 10 will be final, as the apex court remains the ultimate arbiter in election disputes and all other legal matters in the country.
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