The Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected Governor of Edo State. This judgment marks the final legal resolution of the governorship election dispute, as the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, citing a lack of credible evidence.

A five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal unanimously held that the PDP and Ighodalo failed to prove their claims of electoral irregularities, over-voting, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act in over 400 polling units. The ruling upheld the decisions of both the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier affirmed Okpebholo’s victory.

Senator Okpebholo was declared the winner of the September 21, 2024 governorship election after polling 291,667 votes, defeating Asue Ighodalo who garnered 247,274 votes. Alongside his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, he was sworn into office on November 12, 2024.

With the Supreme Court’s verdict, all legal challenges to Okpebholo’s election have now been conclusively resolved. The ruling not only validates the mandate given to him by the people of Edo State but also reinforces the legitimacy of the electoral process that brought him into office.