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Supreme Court Affirms Okpebholo as APC Candidate for Edo Governorship, Dismisses Ighodalo’s Appeal
Supreme Court of Nigeria on Thursday affirmed Senator Monday Okpebholo as the Governor of Edo State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
A 5-member panel of the apex court in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Lawal Garba, held that the appellants failed to prove their case of over-voting, non-compliance with the Electoral Act, among other infractions which they cited as grounds to fault the electoral victory of Okpebholo.
In a unanimous judgment, the apex court held that with the submission before it, Ighodalo was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast.
Specifically, the apex court held that the PDP candidate failed to prove non-compliance as he merely challenged the outcome of the election in 395 of the 4,519 polling units where elections were held.
The apex court panel also said the 19 witnesses called at the Tribunal stage did not help the case of the PDP in challenging the outcome of the election.
The apex court held that it found no reason to set aside the previous judgment of the lower courts, stating that the appellant failed to prove, without doubt, admissible evidence to the claim that the election was marred by irregularities and over-voting and proceeded to dismiss Igodhalo’s appeal.
It wouldbe recalled that the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on May 29, 2025, affirmed the decision of the Edo State governorship Election Petition tribunal that affirmed the election victory of Governor Okpebholo.
The three-member panel of the Appellate court in a unanimous decision dismissed Ighodalo’s appeal, describing it as devoid of merit.
Meanwhile, on April 2, 2025, a three-member panel of the Edo State governorship Election Petition Tribunal, chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the petition of the PDP and Ighodalo for their inability to prove the allegation of over-voting as stated in their petition to challenge Okpebholo’s victory.
The tribunal faulted the way and manner in which the petitioners proved their evidence in relation to the allegations brought before it and affirmed that Okpebholo scored the highest number of valid votes in the election.
The petitioners in a petition marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024 alleged that Okpebholo did not score the highest number of votes in the election, adding that the election was marred by multiple irregularities and corrupt practices.
The petitioners alleged a high record of over-voting in the election and prayed the tribunal to nullify the election over non-serialisation of ballots, incorrect collation of figures, and erroneous computation of scores in 765 polling units.
The petitioners also argued that the election was marred by non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
It was equally the contention of the petitioners that INEC failed to serialise and pre-record some of the sensitive materials that were deployed for the poll, a situation they said aided the rigging of the election in favour of the APC and its candidate.
In the course of the trial, the petitioners called 19 witnesses to defend their claim that the election was marred with irregularities and should be nullified, while INEC, the 1st respondent, did not call any witnesses.
The petitioners subpoenaed a Senior Technical Officer from INEC’s ICT Department, who tendered 154 BVAS machines from 133 polling units to the tribunal to support their allegations of over-voting.
Okpebholo, the 2nd respondent in the petition, called a lone witness, while the APC, the third respondent, called four witnesses before closing its defence.
While the petitioners urged the tribunal to nullify the election as they had presented sufficient evidence to prove their allegations, the respondents, on their part, prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition on the grounds that the contentions of the petitioners were without merit.
They claimed the petitioners failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt their claims that Ighodalo, not Okpebholo, won the election.
The tribunal, in its judgment, led by Justice Kpochi, held that the petitioners did not convince the court in linking the allegations to the evidence tendered.
The tribunal held that it is clear that the documents, which include the voters register, the BVAS machine, and form EC8a, were required to prove the allegations of overvoting, but the petitioners failed to demonstrate it.
The tribunal also said most of the witnesses who testified for the petitioners gave hearsay evidence.
“We hold that the failure by the petitioners to call polling unit agents presiding officers or other registered voters was fatal to the case.
“It still remains the law that documents do not speak for themselves. A petitioner must prove their evidence. The allegation of non-compliance must be proved.
“It is not for us to sit back and look at it. Among the other plentitude of documents dumped on us, we still require evidence that shows that there was an extra recording of votes.
“The BVAS machine was clearly dumped and remains dormant. None of the witnesses could speak to the BVAS machine. The machines were not demonstrated to prove the allegations of overvoting.
“All the evidence documents tendered by the petitioners to prove overvoting fall short of the requirements.
“The law requires that the petitioners shall call witnesses to link the evidence rendered,” the tribunal held.
Justice Kpochi also said when an election is conducted in flagrant disobedience to the orders of the electoral Act, such an election is said to be conducted not in compliance with the electoral Act but the petitioners failed to prove that the Independent National Electoral Commission did not comply with the provisions of the electoral Act in the conduct of the elections.
“The petitioners failed to prove that the first defendant did not comply with the provisions of the electoral act or INEC rules of conduct as required by law”, Justice Kpochi stated.
The tribunal also held that, as against the petitioners’ claims by their witnesses, there are serial numbers on the ballot papers. “There are figures here,” Justice Kpochi said.
The tribunal dismissed the allegation that there was no prior recording of the electoral material before the commencement of voting and dismissed the petitioners’ petition.
In the Edo state governorship poll, INEC declared that Okpebholo polled 291,667, emerging the winner, while Ighodalo and PDP polled 247,655 votes in second position.
News
Corruption: EFCC Boss Exposes Public Officers ” They Assume Office With Empty Account But Own Millions Of Dollars In 3 Years”
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, says Nigerian politicians steal public funds every minute.
He spoke in Abuja at the 80th birthday celebration of former Attorney-General, Kanu Agabi.
Olukoyede said the anti-graft agency receives over 20,000 corruption petitions every year, adding that most of the cases are shocking.
“I receive over 20,000 petitions in a year in respect to public corruption, all terrible. What is going on? Like every minute, public officers take money, and if you go through some of our case files you will weep.
“The way people take national resources and Nigerians are victims of these fraudulent activities. And we must come together for once in our lifetime and say no to the activities of some of our leaders,” Olukoyede said.
The EFCC boss said some public officers resume office with less than N100,000 in their account, but after three years, EFCC will trace millions of dollars to them.
He said some of them build hundreds of houses while still in office, noting that corruption is killing Nigeria.
Olukoyede said public officers must explain what they did in office, stressing that accountability and transparency must guide public service.
The Ogun State Police Command says, it has arrested 43-year-old Edebiri Temitope, who allegedly beat his neighbour to death with a bamboo stick for hugging his son in Bluestone Treasure Estate, Mowe-Ofada area of Ogun State.
The deceased, 38 years old Micheal Oje, a Guidance and Counselling graduate of Benue State University, was accused of hugging and playing rough with the 3-year-old child .
According to Peter Adum, a younger cousin to the deceased, Micheal had just returned from work and the child who lived with them on the same street, ran towards him and hugged him.
He stated that Michael hugged the boy and threw him playfully in the air and caught him, before going into his room to sleep.
Adum said, “While he was sleeping, Adebiri, the father of the boy, came outside and knocked on his door. When Mike came out, the man accused him of playing roughly with his child. Mike explained that he had only hugged the boy and lifted him into the air.
“That was how the man then started slapping Mike. He picked up a bamboo stick from the ground and hit him about three times. Mike fell and died on the spot.”
The suspect was reported to have gone into hiding with his family.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi on Friday, said the suspect had been arrested and transferred to the State CID, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation.
“Edebiri Temitope, ‘M’, aged 43 years, who was earlier reported to be at large, has been arrested in connection with the death of Oje Michael Eje, ‘M’.
“The suspect has been transferred to the State CID, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation,” Babaseyi stated.
Jimoh Ibrahim, Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s absence at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Ibrahim spoke on a Television program, on Thursday, noting that Tinubu cannot attend the event just to deliver a 15-minute speech.
Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, had said Tinubu would not attend the 81st UNGA because he is currently on annual leave.
Idris said Tinubu had mandated Vice-President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the high-level session in New York, United States.
The minister’s comment followed criticism from former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who faulted the president’s absence at the gathering.
Atiku had questioned Tinubu’s decision to stay away from the general debate for the third consecutive year, saying the president’s “persistent avoidance” of the United States raises questions.
The former vice-president also questioned why Tinubu did not show up after Ibrahim reportedly said arrangements had been made for the president to sit close to US President Donald Trump at the general assembly.
Atiku further linked Tinubu’s absence to his past legal history in the US and asked: “Is Tinubu afraid that he could become Donald Trump’s next Nicolás Maduro?”
However, Ibrahim said Tinubu’s absence should not be taken as a big deal because many presidents of other countries did not attend the gathering in person.
“What do you think President Tinubu is coming to do?” he queried.
“The presidents are allowed in the UN under UNGA for 15 minutes. Is that the reason why he should board the flight and be here for 15 minutes?”
He said Shettima had, in Tinubu’s absence, attended high-level meetings and met with Nigerians in the diaspora, describing the engagement as ideal.
“This is the kind of engagement we want, not that the president will just be inside the plane and be coming to UNGA for a 15-minute speech. What is the meaning of that? We don’t want that,” Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim, who was appointed chairman of the budget and administration committee for UNGA’s Fifth Committee in June, said 60 percent of those on the speaking list at the gathering were foreign affairs ministers and vice-presidents.
“As permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, if I’m to do a memo to the president at the last minute of boarding the plane to go to UNGA, do you think I will recommend the president to be on his way when 60 percent of the speaking list of 193 countries are ministers and vice-presidents representing their countries?” he queried.
“There are exigencies. If the speaking list is 90 presidents, maybe of course, the president can come. I don’t think the president should come and be where his equivalent is a minister of foreign affairs of another country.”
The envoy also said the country occupied a prominent position at UNGA, arguing that Tinubu’s physical presence was not necessary.
“I promise that Nigeria will be on the front-row seat at UNGA. Are we not on the front-row seat? Nigeria is sitting at number eight seat in the UN under UNGA and America is at number 26th seat at the back of Nigeria’s seat,” he said.
“And you know, Donald Trump didn’t go to sit on his own seat. He came in to give a lecture at the UNGA and went back from there.
“Are you saying that Nigeria is making the impact it is supposed to make globally? Must we have President Tinubu here before we can make the impact?”
Speaking on what the composition of the speaking list implied, Ibrahim said reforms were being planned to increase the impact of the organisation on member-states.
“That is the reform we are taking on effective from October 1st. When I chair the budget and administrative committee, 90 percent of UN resources is spent at the headquarters, while 10 percent goes to member-states,” he said.
“So legitimacy is reduced because member-states are not seeing impacts of the United Nations. We are going to reverse that.”
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