Newsie Events:
Confusion has erupted following the online circulation of a leaked judgment from the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal, just hours before its official pronouncement.
The leaked document suggests that the tribunal’s lead judgment dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, affirming the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo.
The three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had previously reserved judgment on March 3 after hearing the case challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election.
The tribunal had summoned all parties to appear for the official ruling on April 2, 2025.
However, the leaked judgment reveals a divided verdict, with a 2-1 decision. While Justices Kpochi and A.B. Yusuf upheld Okpebholo’s victory, Justice A.A. Adewole dissented, calling for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Ighodalo, declaring him the rightful winner.
Justice Adewole argued that Okpebholo’s election was invalid due to substantial non-compliance with electoral laws.
He contended that a correct tally of lawful votes would have given Ighodalo 243,113 votes, surpassing Okpebholo’s 210,326.
In contrast, the majority judgment acknowledged evidence of irregularities but concluded that the petitioners failed to prove these significantly impacted the election outcome.
Citing precedents from Oyetola vs. Adeleke (2023) and Atiku vs. INEC (2023), the panel ruled that the PDP’s claims did not meet the legal threshold for overturning the election.
The authenticity of the leaked document remains unverified at the time of reporting.
INEC had initially declared Okpebholo of the APC as the winner with 291,667 votes, while Ighodalo of the PDP secured 247,655 votes.
The PDP filed its petition on October 11, 2024, challenging the election’s validity.
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