An unsigned document, allegedly containing the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, has surfaced online, causing widespread debate and uncertainty. The leaked document emerged just a day before the tribunal is set to officially announce its ruling on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
The case, brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenges the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC). With the sudden appearance of the document online, many are questioning its authenticity and whether it truly represents the tribunal’s final decision.
A copy of the document, reportedly reviewed by The PUNCH, suggests that the tribunal’s judgment was split. According to the document, two out of the three judges ruled in favor of Okpebholo, while the third judge dissented.
The tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, reportedly had Justice A. B. Yusuf siding with him to uphold Okpebholo’s election victory. Their reasoning, as outlined in the document, was that while irregularities were present in the election process, they were not significant enough to change the overall outcome. They also referred to past Supreme Court decisions to justify dismissing the petition.
However, Justice A. A. Adewole disagreed with the majority. According to the leaked document, he argued that the total valid votes showed Ighodalo securing 243,113 votes, while Okpebholo had 210,326.
Based on this, he ruled that the election was invalid due to non-compliance with the Electoral Act and instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Ighodalo. He further noted that PDP’s claims had not been effectively countered and that available evidence suggested the wrong candidate was declared as the winner.
