Delivering the lead judgment on Wednesday, Justice Garba held that the appellants failed to provide credible and admissible evidence to support their claims of widespread electoral irregularities, including over-voting and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The apex court faulted the PDP’s legal strategy, particularly their failure to call relevant witnesses to back the documents presented—especially those relating to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). The court described the submitted documents as having been “dumped” on the tribunal without proper demonstration or explanation.
“The appellant did not satisfactorily discharge the burden of proof placed on him by the law,” Justice Garba ruled.
Ighodalo had approached the Supreme Court to set aside the May 29 judgment of the Court of Appeal, insisting that the election was marred by irregularities and that he secured the majority of valid votes. However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Okpebholo, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) all urged the court to dismiss the appeal—a position the court agreed with after reserving judgment on July 2.
This decision marks the final judicial seal on the Edo State governorship election held on September 21, 2024. INEC had declared Okpebholo winner with 291,667 votes, ahead of Ighodalo, who polled 247,655 votes.
Earlier, the tribunal and the Court of Appeal had dismissed similar petitions by the PDP, Action Alliance (AA), and Accord Party, ruling that the petitioners failed to provide sufficient evidence to warrant overturning the election results.
The PDP had alleged irregularities in 765 polling units, including result manipulation, over-voting, and improper deployment of BVAS machines. They also claimed that INEC failed to pre-record and serialize sensitive electoral materials. However, the courts at all levels concluded that the petition lacked credible witness testimony and failed to meet the legal threshold of proof.
With the Supreme Court’s ruling, the legal battle over the 2024 Edo governorship election has come to an end, firmly affirming Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State.
TEC News Quote of the Day
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”
– Albert Einstein
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