Senate President -Godswill Akpabio

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has congratulated Governor Monday Okpebholo on his affirmation by the Supreme Court as the duly elected Governor of Edo State following the September 2024 gubernatorial election.

In a congratulatory message personally signed and issued on Friday in Abuja, Akpabio described the apex court’s ruling as a triumph of democracy and the will of the people.

“What the apex court in the land has done is to affirm the will and wishes of the overwhelming majority of the people of Edo State. It shows that the election was transparent, free, and fair,” he said.

He added that the judgment, which dismissed the appeal brought by Mr Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), further confirms that electoral victories must be earned at the ballot through genuine grassroots support.

“The declaration by the Supreme Court in favour of Senator Okpebholo against Mr Asue Ighodalo has proven that elections are won at the ballot and by people who have identified with the grassroots,” Akpabio noted.

He commended Governor Okpebholo’s performance in his first seven months in office and expressed confidence that his four-year tenure would bring further development to the state.

“This milestone affirms Okpebholo’s mandate and paves the way for him to continue delivering exceptional service to the good people of Edo. He has done well in the past seven months, and I believe he will do excellently well in his four-year tenure,” Akpabio said.

“My distinguished brother, His Excellency Senator Monday Okpebholo, on behalf of my family and constituents, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I extend my warmest congratulations to you and the wonderful people of Edo on this landmark victory at the Supreme Court”, he concluded his message with a personal note of solidarity.

The Senate President assured the governor of the Senate’s support and looked forward to collaboration for the state’s development. “Congratulations once again, Governor Okpebholo. I look forward to a robust working relationship with you,” he said.

In a unanimous decision, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Mohammed Garba dismissed the appeal filed by Mr Asue Ighodalo, describing it as lacking in merit.

The apex court held that there was no reason to overturn the concurrent decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had affirmed Okpebholo’s victory.

The court ruled that the appellant failed to provide credible and admissible evidence to support claims of electoral malpractice, including allegations of over-voting and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

It further stated that the appellant failed to call necessary witnesses to validate claims, particularly in relation to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines. Additionally, some pieces of evidence submitted were deemed to have been “dumped” on the tribunal without being properly linked to irregularities in the 432 polling units cited—out of a total of 4,519 in the state.

NAN