Edo election: Ighodalo calls Supreme Court ruling ‘robbery’
Oluwatosin Ogunjuyigbe
Nigeria’s Supreme Court has delivered its final judgement on the disputed September 2024 Edo State governorship election, upholding Governor Monday Okpebholo’s victory. The ruling ends months of legal challenges from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
However, despite the court’s decision, Mr Ighodalo has strongly rejected the ruling, claiming the election was rigged. In a statement released yesterday, he expressed his anger at what he called an unfair process.
“What happened in the September 2024 governorship election was not a contest. It was a robbery — coordinated, deliberate, and now tragically validated by the highest court in the land,” he said.
The defeated candidate then accused key institutions of failing to protect voters’ wishes and warned that the result would lead to poor governance for the state’s citizens.
“You came out in hope. You voted for competence… and now, we are told your voice does not matter,” he told his supporters in Edo State.
Despite his disappointment, Ighodalo urged his followers not to give up hope for change.
“We may not have won the office, but we won something greater. We found one another. We discovered our collective strength,” he said.
He ended his statement with a warning to the new government: “To those who now hold power undeserved, lead with humility. Govern with conscience. History sees what the courts may not.”
Okpebholo celebrates ‘landmark’ victory
Meanwhile, Governor Okpebholo welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, calling it a “landmark” ruling that finally settles all legal disputes from the 2024 election.
Through his spokesperson, Fred Itua, the governor said: “The Supreme Court of Nigeria today delivered a landmark judgment affirming Senator Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, bringing to a conclusive end all legal contestations arising from the 2024 Governorship Election.”
The governor thanked the courts and the people of Edo State for their support throughout the legal battle.
“This definitive verdict is not merely a legal triumph—it is a solemn reaffirmation of the sacred mandate freely given by the people of Edo State. It signals the beginning of a fresh chapter rooted in unity, inclusiveness, and accelerated development,” the statement continued.
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