A document purported to be the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has surfaced online, just a day before its official pronouncement. The leak follows the tribunal’s earlier directive summoning all parties involved in the case for a formal judgment.
The petition, filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenges the outcome of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State. On March 3, 2025, the three-member tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, reserved its judgment on the matter.
According to reports, the leaked document indicates a divided ruling. The tribunal’s chairman, Justice Kpochi, along with Justice A.B. Yusuf, reportedly upheld Governor Monday Okpebholo’s victory, dismissing the PDP’s petition. However, Justice A.A. Adewole, in a dissenting minority judgment, ruled in favor of Ighodalo and called for a fresh Certificate of Return to be issued to him.
In the minority judgment, Justice Adewole argued that the election results were invalid due to significant non-compliance with the Electoral Act. He claimed that the petitioners had provided substantial evidence indicating that Ighodalo had actually secured 243,113 votes, surpassing Okpebholo’s 210,326 votes.
“The petitioners’ case was not rebutted, and they demonstrated unit-by-unit calculations showing the correct tally,” the leaked document quoted Justice Adewole as stating.
Despite acknowledging irregularities, the tribunal’s majority ruling held that the petitioners failed to prove that these issues significantly affected the election’s outcome. Justice Kpochi noted that while some instances of non-compliance were evident, there was no substantial evidence showing that they had altered the final result.
“The petitioners have not met the legal burden of proof. Therefore, the petition lacks merit and is hereby dismissed,” the majority judgment reportedly stated.
INEC had declared Governor Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election with 291,667 votes, while Ighodalo of the PDP secured 247,655 votes. Dissatisfied with the result, the PDP argued that procedural lapses during the election facilitated irregularities that favored the APC.
