The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo, dismissing a petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) and its alleged chairman, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje.
In its ruling, the Tribunal struck out the petition on Wednesday, declared it lacked merit and was frivolous. It determined that Omoaje had no legal standing to challenge the election, as he neither participated in the September 21, 2024, polls nor had any direct electoral grievance.
The Tribunal noted that Omoaje’s primary contention was his claim to the chairmanship of the Action Alliance, which prevented him from nominating a governorship candidate. However, it ruled that this issue was unrelated to the electoral process and had no basis under the Electoral Act 2022.
Omoaje had urged the Tribunal to invalidate Okpebholo’s election, alleged non-compliance with electoral laws, corruption, and a failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to secure a majority of valid votes. The Tribunal, however, found no substantive legal backing for his claims and dismissed the petition entirely.
The Edo governorship election, held on September 21, 2024, saw Okpebholo of the APC emerge victorious with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 247,655 votes.
While this ruling strengthened Okpebholo’s mandate, other petitions challenging the election outcome remain pending in court, keeping the post-election legal battle ongoing.
