The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Governor of Edo State, thereby upholding an earlier decision by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
A five-member panel of justices, led by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, ruled that the appellants—the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate from the September 2024 election, Asue Ighodalo—failed to substantiate their claims of election non-compliance, unlawful votes, or that Okpebholo was not duly elected.
Consequently, the appeal was dismissed due to a lack of merit.
Read Also: Obaseki Reacts To Supreme Court Judgment On Edo Governorship Election
How Election Observers Criticised and Rejected Edo Governorship Election Results
No fewer than 25 observer groups criticized Edo State governorship election, stating that it fell short of expectations.
They stated that the collation of results at certain levels failed to comply with the 2022 Electoral Act.
While the groups expressed satisfaction with the results from over 4,500 polling units and some wards, they rejected the collation of ward and local government results conducted at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Benin City, stating that it contravened legal procedures.
A statement signed by Mrs. Rose Akhigbe, Comrade Peter Nwokolo, Engr. Anyasor Gabriel and Comrade Sunny Elekwa on behalf of others said “We reject the result declared because there are two sets of result sheets. One was taken to the field and another one to APC in Edo North, some parts of Edo South and Edo Central.
“We observed that the military and police disrupted the collation of results at the wards and local governments collation centres, including intimidation of INEC officials that collated results contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines. There is significant concern about the credibility of the results collation process.
“We reject the result of the election which declared the All Progressive Congress APC candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo. There was militarization and use of impunity at wards, local governments and state collation centres. INEC, Military and police have violated the provision of the Electoral Act 2022 concerning the collation of results in the governorship election. Results were only collated at units and some wards.”
Read Also: Ighodalo Reacts To Supreme Court Judgment On Edo Governorship Election
Also, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and its accredited member organisations stated that the Edo governorship election failed to meet the standards of a credible election.
In a press briefing held in Abuja, the observers shared their findings on the Saturday election.
The coalition includes prominent organisations such as the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), Yiaga Africa, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), and TAF Africa.
Delivering a joint statement on behalf of the groups, Mrs. Mimijoo Achakpa, Co-Convener of the Situation Room, expressed dissatisfaction with the results collation process, raising concerns about the overall credibility of the election.
“The Situation Room and its partners are concerned that the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and guidelines of INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) on collation process appeared to have been compromised in the Edo State Governorship election 2024.
“The collation process in this election was again a weak link. Our observation of the collation process shows that it was not transparent nor opened to representatives of the various candidates in some cases.
“In addition, it lacks transparency in the application of the provision of the Electoral Act and the INEC Guidelines on over-voting and cancellation of results from polling units.
“This raised major question on the lack of clarity and uniformity in the application of rule on cancellation of ballots across different LGAs’’, she said.
According to Mrs. Achakpa, there were numerous reports of over-voting and a lack of inclusion, with voters with disabilities forced to rely on assisted voting, compromising their independence and privacy.
The observers recommended that INEC investigate polling officials and collation officers implicated in violating guidelines on result collation.
Ms. Cynthia Mbamalu, Director of Programmes at Yiaga Africa, called on security agencies to inform the public about disciplinary actions taken against officers found guilty of election fraud.
She emphasized that elections should be conducted with integrity, which, in this case, was lacking.
Meanwhile, Nigerians who followed the Edo Governorship Election process have expressed displeasure with the judgment of the supreme court.
@emmaikumeh said on X: The Supreme Court judgment on the Edo state election is simply telling us to win the elections on the Election Day at all costs, come out in large numbers, cast your vote, and keep vigils at the larger collation centers to defend your votes, make sure you’re not rigged out.
@edobor_ojetteh while replying to @emmaikumeh said: My brother even Obaseki went to the collation center to defend Asue ighodalo’s vote but guess what happened he was walked out, we are dealing with criminality and corruption in apc during election and it’s not going to be an easy ride but will still have to unite to face them.
@HonShield wrote on X: With the Supreme Court’s validation of the robbery that happened in the Edo Governorship Election, omo, e no go better for anyone asking us to go to court in 2027. Let’s agree to end the voting process and declaration at the polls by whatever means necessary abeg.
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