Tribunal Rejects Ighodalo’s Petition, Confirms Okpebholo’s Election as Edo Governor

The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja has dismissed the petition filed by Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a ruling delivered on April 2, 2025, the tribunal found that Ighodalo and his party failed to provide credible evidence to support their claims of electoral malpractices in the September 21, 2024, election. A three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, pointed out that the PDP did not call crucial witnesses, including presiding officers, polling unit officers, or voters, undermining the strength of their case.

The tribunal also criticized the PDP’s reliance on documents without proper analysis, describing it as inadequate. It further dismissed the petitioners’ attempt to use Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, noting that the tribunal was not tasked with extracting data from them.

Highlighting the need for concrete evidence, the tribunal emphasized that allegations of overvoting required the submission of voters’ registers, BVAS records, and polling unit results (Forms EC8A), all of which the PDP failed to present. As a result, the panel unanimously rejected Ighodalo’s petition for lack of merit.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier declared Okpebholo as the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who secured 247,655 votes. The PDP had contested the results from 765 out of 4,519 polling units, citing irregularities such as vote miscalculations and overvoting. However, the tribunal ruled that these claims were not supported by sufficient evidence, thereby affirming Okpebholo’s position as the legitimate governor of Edo State.