The Supreme Court has brought an emphatic close to the legal tussle over the Edo State governorship election, affirming the victory of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 21, 2024 poll.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, a five-member panel of the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, for lacking in merit.
Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, who read the lead judgment, held that the appellants failed to substantiate their claims with credible and sufficient evidence.
The apex court therefore upheld the earlier verdicts of both the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had affirmed Okpebholo’s election.
The verdict ends months of political uncertainty and firmly hands the reins of power in Edo to the APC, dashing the hopes of the PDP, which had sought to reclaim the state through the courts.
*More details to follow.
