The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Wednesday heard the appeal that arose from election dispute in Edo State Governorship election held on Saturday, September 21, 2024 and reserved it’s judgement.
The appeal was filed by Asue Ighodalo a governorship candidate and his sponsor the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). against the decision of Court of Appeal who upheld the decision of governorship election tribunal that the election was properly and lawfully conducted by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The appellants are specifically challenging the election of Sen. Monday Okpebholo , the current governor of Edo State who was sponsored by All Progressive Congress, APC.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared Monday Okpebholo of APC who scored 291,667 Votes the winner and Asue Ighodalo with 247,274 votes as the runner up.
Dissatisfied with the result and the concurrent decisions of Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal and Court of Appeal, Ighodalo and PDP had lodged the appeal at the supreme court of Nigeria.
Presiding Justice of Apex Court’s five man panel of justices , Justice Garba Lawal, said after the panel had heard the appeal, that the date for delivery of the judgment would be communicated to parties involved.
Earlier, while adopting his brief of argument the appellant – Ighodalo’s counsel, Ken Mosia SAN, prayed the court to set aside the concurrent decisions of the lower courts and uphold the appeal.
The appellant counsel further prayed Supreme Court to order the removal of Governor Okpebholo from office and pronounce Ighodalo as the winner of the election, arguing that he scored the majority of lawful votes.
“We urge the court to declare our client as the winner of the election, having scored the majority of lawful votes,” Mosia said.
However, INEC’s counsel, Kanu Agabi SAN, asked the court to dismiss the appeal in its entirety, arguing that Ighodalo and PDP had been inconsistent in their grievances against the election.
“The appellants have stigmatized the election as invalid and unlawful, yet they pray the court to declare them as winners.
This is inconsistent and their case should be dismissed for want of merit,” Agabi argued.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja had earlier upheld Okpebholo’s election, dismissing Ighodalo’s appeal. Ighodalo rejected the judgment and vowed to contest it at the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court’s judgment is now eagerly being awaited, with the fate of the Edo State governorship hanging in the balance.