Justice Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court was reportedly seen on Thursday evening, June 12, 2025, at the Protea Hotel in Benin City, Edo State, accompanied by the Edo State Attorney General, Hon. Samson Osagie.
According to a credible source, the two were spotted leaving the hotel, reportedly en route to meet Governor Monday Okpebholo.
This encounter raises concerns about potential backchannel lobbying ahead of the Supreme Court hearing for the ongoing legal challenge to the governor’s election.
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The source claims that Justice Okoro is actively lobbying to chair the Supreme Court panel slated to hear the appeal against Governor Okpebholo’s electoral victory.
“Justice Okoro is lobbying to be on the Supreme Court panel to hear the case challenging Governor Okpebholo’s election,” the source stated, adding, “He is lobbying to be the chairman of the Supreme Court appeal panel.”
The source further insisted that the meeting between the Attorney General and the Supreme Court Justice took place late Thursday night, facilitated to establish direct contact with the governor.
A video obtained by SaharaReporters purportedly shows Justice Okoro in the hotel lobby near the reception desk, though its conclusive nature is limited by distance and image quality.
Justice Okoro is a sitting Supreme Court Justice with a history of presiding over significant political and electoral cases.
On Friday, June 13, 2025, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, a prominent human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), also alleged in an X post that a senior male Justice of the Supreme Court was seen leaving the Protea Hotel in Benin City around 8 p.m., accompanied by the Edo State Attorney General, Osagie.
Odinkalu’s post read: “3 days ago, on 10 June, @Aighodalo appealed to @SupremeCourtNg against the decision of @CourtOfAppealNG in the governorship petition. Shortly after 8pm last night, a senior, male JSC left Protea Hotel (near ShopRite in Benin) in the company of the Edo State Attorney-Gen. How so?!”
The insinuation that a sitting Supreme Court Justice might be engaging with parties involved in a pending case has alarmed legal observers and civic groups, who emphasize the critical importance of maintaining judicial neutrality in electoral matters.
The case challenging Governor Okpebholo’s election is expected to be decided by the Supreme Court in the coming weeks, following its review by both the Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, filed the petition against Governor Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) regarding the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, over Ighodalo’s 247,274 votes.
The Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, dismissed the PDP’s petition on April 2, 2025, ruling that the party failed to substantiate allegations of over-voting and electoral non-compliance with sufficient evidence, such as polling unit agents and presiding officers.
Dissatisfied, the PDP and Ighodalo appealed this decision.
However, on May 29, 2025, the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld Okpebholo’s election, dismissing the PDP’s appeal and reaffirming the tribunal’s decision, stating that the PDP failed to establish a miscarriage of justice.
Ighodalo is now challenging this ruling at the Supreme Court.
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