The much anticipated judgement of the three-member panel of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal expected to be delivered on Wednesday April 2, 2025, has been leaked online.
It would be recalled that the panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had on March 3, 2025, reserved its judgement on the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo, challenging the result of the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
However, before the official ruling could be delivered, copies of what seemed to be the judgement have started circulating widely on the internet.
According to the leaked documents, dated April 2, 2025, the tribunal’s Chairman, Justice Kpochi, and another panel member, Justice A. B. Yusuf, ruled in favour of Governor Monday Okpebholo, dismissing the PDP’s petition and upholding Okpenholo’s election.
However, the third judge, Justice A. A. Adewole, disagreed.
In his minority judgement, Justice Adewole reportedly declared that Gov. Okpebholo’s election was invalid due to irregularities and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a fresh certificate of return to Ighodalo as the rightful winner.
Justice Adewole was said to have based his decision on alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act, stating that the total valid votes showed that Ighodalo had 243,113 votes, while Gov. Okpebholo had 210,326 votes.
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He further argued that the PDP’s case was not properly countered, and that evidence showed the final election results were incorrectly declared.
In contrast, the majority decision of the tribunal acknowledged certain irregularities, but stated that the PDP failed to prove that the irregularities were substantial enough to affect the overall outcome of the election
Justice Kpochi and Justice Yusuf referenced previous Supreme Court rulings, asserting that while errors in collation and exclusions were found, they did not change the margin of victory or prove that Ighodalo had more lawful votes.
The situation has once again exposed the underbelly of the rot in the nation’s judiciary
