Supreme Court Adjourns Judgment in Edo Governorship Election Appeal Indefinitely

By Ikpommwosa Odigie

The Supreme Court has postponed its ruling on the appeal filed by Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State. After hearing final submissions from all parties on Wednesday, Justice Garba Lawal and a five-member panel reserved judgment sine die, indicating a date will be communicated later .

Ighodalo’s legal team, led by Ken Mozia SAN, urged the court to nullify the election outcome and declare him as the winner, claiming he garnered the majority of lawful votes . They argued that compliance issues with the Electoral Act compromised the integrity of the poll.

In response, INEC’s counsel, Kanu Agabi SAN, called for outright dismissal. He highlighted contradictions in the PDP’s approach—pointing out that the appellants had previously branded the election illegal but were now seeking to benefit from it, a stance he claimed lacked legal merit .

This appeal follows earlier judicial decisions. Edo’s Election Petition Tribunal dismissed Ighodalo’s petition, finding insufficient evidence to invalidate Governor Okpebholo’s victory. That ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal on May 29, 2025 .

INEC had officially declared Okpebholo, the APC candidate, winner of the September 21, 2024 election with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who secured 247,655 votes .

With the Supreme Court’s judgment now on indefinite hold, the legal fate of the Edo governorship remains unresolved. A final decision on the appeal will be announced in due course, pending formal communication from the court.