Edo governorship election: Supreme Court adjourns judgment indefinitely

The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned indefinitely judgment in the legal battle on the Edo Governorship Election Petition.

Justice Garba Lawal who presided over hearing of the appeal filed by Mr Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that the date for delivery of the judgment would be communicated to parties involved.

The apex Court adjourned the judgment sine die after taking arguments for and against the election that produced Sen. Monday Obekpolo as the duly elected governor.

Ighodalo whose appeal was argued by Ken Mosia SAN prayed the apex court to remove Obekpolo and pronounced him as winner of the election.

His ground was that he scored majority of the lawful votes in the election.

However, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC represented by Kanu Agabi SAN asked the court to dismiss the appeal in its entirety.

Agabi argued that Ighodalo and PDP had in their petition stigmatized as invalid and unlawful on ground of non compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.

The electoral body said having declared the election as unlawful and illegal, Ighodalo and PDP cannot turn around and pray the court to declare them as winners of illegality.

INEC accused Ighodalo and PDP of being inconsistent in their grievances against the election and pleaded that their case be dismissed for want of merit.

Our correspondent reports that the Court of Appeal in Abuja on May 29, upheld the election of Okpebholo as the Governor of Edo.

The court dismissed the case of Ighodalo in the Sept. 21, 2024 governorship election.

Delivering judgment, a three-member panel of the appellate court led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, unanimously held that the appeal by Ighodalo was unmeritorious and dismissed it.

The court held that the appellants failed to show that the election tribunal erred in its decision and proceeded to affirm the judgment of the tribunal delivered.

However, Ighodalo rejected the judgment and said the verdict of the appellate court would be contested at the Supreme Court