Supreme Court Sets July 10 for Final Verdict in Contentious 2024 Edo Governorship Election Dispute

 

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has scheduled Thursday, July 10, 2025, to deliver its long-awaited judgment on the 2024 Edo State governorship election dispute. This announcement follows weeks of intense legal arguments and uncertainty that have surrounded the electoral outcome.

This critical judgment will determine whether Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will remain the declared governor or whether Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be reinstated as the rightful winner of the election.

Just a week prior, the apex court had risen from its last hearing without fixing a specific date for the verdict. The justices reserved their ruling sine die, which left both legal teams and political observers on edge, awaiting a formal communication. The suspense ended when the court formally notified the involved parties that judgment would be delivered on July 10.

Justice Garba Lawal, who chairs the five-member panel overseeing the case, had concluded the hearing by announcing that the matter had been adjourned without a fixed date, adding that a date would be given after due consideration. That promise has now been fulfilled with the date officially communicated.

Asue Ighodalo, represented by legal luminary Ken Mozia (SAN), is urging the Supreme Court to overturn Okpebholo’s victory, claiming that the election results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not reflect the actual will of Edo voters. According to Mozia, Ighodalo secured the majority of lawful votes and should have been declared the winner.

During the hearing, Mozia made a strong case for his client, stating, “We urge the court to invalidate Obekpolo’s return and declare our client as the duly elected governor, based on the actual lawful votes cast.” His argument hinges on the assertion that the electoral process was marred by discrepancies that unfairly altered the outcome.

INEC, however, stood firmly behind its declared result. Represented by Kanu Agabi (SAN), the electoral body called for the dismissal of the PDP’s petition, labeling it inconsistent and lacking in merit. Agabi contended that the PDP could not simultaneously denounce the election as unlawful and seek to be declared its winner.

“They are being inconsistent. If the election is unlawful as claimed, then no one can be declared winner from it,” Agabi argued before the panel. He stressed that the PDP initially dismissed the election as a nullity in its petition, only to later seek validation of the same process by requesting a favorable ruling.

This legal contradiction, Agabi pointed out, forms the basis of INEC’s call for dismissal. The commission insisted that the election was conducted within the bounds of the law and that the results declared were accurate and credible.

The legal battle has captured national attention not only because of its implications for Edo State but also due to the broader political dynamics between Nigeria’s two leading parties, the PDP and APC. The judgment will either solidify APC’s control in the state or hand a major political win to the PDP.

Tensions have been rising within both camps as the judgment date approaches. Supporters of Ighodalo argue that justice will prevail, pointing to what they describe as irregularities that compromised the fairness of the election. On the other hand, APC loyalists remain confident that the Supreme Court will uphold Okpebholo’s victory, insisting that the election was conducted transparently.

Beyond the legal teams and political actors, ordinary citizens across Edo State and Nigeria at large are watching closely. The decision could set a legal precedent on how electoral petitions are interpreted when petitioners shift their argument midway or contradict their earlier submissions.

Legal experts suggest that the Supreme Court’s ruling may clarify important aspects of electoral law, particularly concerning the boundaries of petition consistency and what constitutes valid grounds for overturning an election result.

As the countdown begins toward July 10, all eyes will be on Nigeria’s highest court to see how it navigates this high-stakes dispute. Regardless of the outcome, the judgment is expected to reshape Edo’s political landscape and potentially influence future electoral contests across the country.