People found copies of the Edo State Governorship tribunal decision online before judges read it out loud tomorrow. The papers say most judges want to keep Governor Monday Okpebholo in office. The three judges, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, finished hearing the case on March 3 but saved their answer for later. They asked everyone to come back Wednesday, April 2, 2025, to hear what they decided.
Someone put their decision papers on the internet early. Two judges sided with Governor Okpebholo, but one judge disagreed. Justice Kpochi and Justice A. B. Yusuf both said Governor Okpebholo should stay. The third judge, Justice A. A. Adewole, wanted INEC to give Asue Ighodalo from PDP the winner certificate instead.
Justice Adewole claimed Governor Okpebholo broke election rules by counting votes differently, saying Ighodalo actually won with 243,113 votes compared to Okpebholo's 210,326 votes. The two other judges agreed that some rules were broken during voting. They saw problems with missing serial numbers and extra votes, but they said these mistakes did not change who really won.
The main judges pointed to past Supreme Court cases when making their choice. They said PDP needed to prove both that rules were broken and that these problems changed who won. The judges wrote that PDP failed at this job, calling their case weak. Nobody knows if these leaked papers match what judges will really say tomorrow.
INEC had earlier announced Okpebholo from APC won with 291,667 votes against Ighodalo from PDP who got 247,655 votes. PDP and Ighodalo started this court case on October 11, 2024. They claimed the election broke many rules from the Electoral Act of 2022. The judges must decide if these claims matter enough to change who runs Edo State.
Someone put their decision papers on the internet early. Two judges sided with Governor Okpebholo, but one judge disagreed. Justice Kpochi and Justice A. B. Yusuf both said Governor Okpebholo should stay. The third judge, Justice A. A. Adewole, wanted INEC to give Asue Ighodalo from PDP the winner certificate instead.
Justice Adewole claimed Governor Okpebholo broke election rules by counting votes differently, saying Ighodalo actually won with 243,113 votes compared to Okpebholo's 210,326 votes. The two other judges agreed that some rules were broken during voting. They saw problems with missing serial numbers and extra votes, but they said these mistakes did not change who really won.
The main judges pointed to past Supreme Court cases when making their choice. They said PDP needed to prove both that rules were broken and that these problems changed who won. The judges wrote that PDP failed at this job, calling their case weak. Nobody knows if these leaked papers match what judges will really say tomorrow.
INEC had earlier announced Okpebholo from APC won with 291,667 votes against Ighodalo from PDP who got 247,655 votes. PDP and Ighodalo started this court case on October 11, 2024. They claimed the election broke many rules from the Electoral Act of 2022. The judges must decide if these claims matter enough to change who runs Edo State.
