Ighodalo Faces Uphill Battle Against Affirmation of Okpebholo
By Sebastine Ebhuomhan
Thursday, May 29, 2025 – Abuja: The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja will today deliver judgment on all appeals arising from the Edo State governorship election held on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election, having polled 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Asuerinme Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 247,655 votes.
To resolve the legal disputes and deliver a final verdict, the three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, chaired by Honourable Justice Mohamed Danjuma, will consider three appeals and a cross-appeal.
Governor Okpebholo, who had earlier secured victory at the Edo State Election Petitions Tribunal, is countering Ighodalo’s appeal (marked CA/ABJ/EPT/ED/GOV/01/2025) with a cross-appeal (CA/ABJ/EPT/ED/GOV/04/2025). Two other appeals under review are from the Action Alliance (AA) and its National Chairman, Rufai Omoaje, and from Bright Enabulele of the Accord Party (AP).
At the hearing on May 15, lawyers for the appellants urged the court to overturn the tribunal’s unanimous ruling of April 2, which upheld Okpebholo’s election.
Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, counsel to Ighodalo and the PDP, argued that the tribunal erred in demanding polling agents as witnesses to prove irregularities in result collation. He contended that the absence of serial numbers on Form EC25B violated Section 73(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and disputed claims that documents were “dumped” on the tribunal, stating that the petition focused specifically on ward-level result collation.
In response, Okpebholo’s counsel, Oyinyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, defended the tribunal’s judgment, stating that Form EC25B does not require serial numbers, only details of quantity received and returned. He emphasized that Form EC40A — which the appellants tendered — included ballot paper serial numbers, and that the appellants failed to present Form EC25D, despite listing it in their petition.
Ikpeazu further argued that ward collation officers are not obligated to rely on iRev uploads in cases of over-voting and urged the appellate court to affirm the tribunal’s decision and uphold Okpebholo’s cross-appeal.
Similarly, APC counsel Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, maintained that under Sections 73(2) and 137 of the Electoral Act, 2022, petitioners must prove non-compliance through evidence from affected polling units — a burden he said Ighodalo failed to meet.
INEC’s counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN, also urged the court to dismiss the appeals and affirm the tribunal’s ruling in favour of Okpebholo.
Given the weight of legal arguments presented and the earlier tribunal outcome, Ighodalo’s bid to reverse APC’s victory and return Edo State to PDP appears increasingly daunting.
Many observers believe public dissatisfaction with former Governor Godwin Obaseki’s leadership style played a significant role in the APC’s sweeping victory in the state. As the court prepares to decide today, Okpebholo’s mandate appears legally fortified, while Ighodalo faces formidable odds.
Sebastine Ebhuomhan is an award-winning journalist and media consultant from Edo State. He supported Monday Okpebholo’s governorship campaign. He can be reached at u
[email protected] or 08037204620.
