Politics
UPDATE: Reactions Trail Supreme Court Judgement, over Okpebholo’s confirmation
Asue Ighodalo, the honorable candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2024 Edo State gubernatorial election, has kicked against the Supreme Court’s judgment confirming Governor Monday Okpebholo as the rightful winner, describing the ruling as a painful blow to justice and democracy.
In a statement released on Thursday, moments after the apex court dismissed his appeal, Ighodalo acknowledged the finality of the decision.
Ighodalo said: “Though I accept the finality of its judgment, I do not and cannot pretend that what was delivered amounts to justice,” he said.
Below is a copy of Ighodalo’s statement of the Supreme Court’s judgment:
“What happened in the September 2024 Governorship Election was not a contest. It was a robbery. Coordinated. Deliberate. And now, tragically validated by the highest court in the land.”
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous verdict delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba, upheld the earlier decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had dismissed Ighodalo’s petition and affirmed Okpebholo’s victory.
The court held that the PDP and its candidate failed to present credible evidence of alleged electoral irregularities, including over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
It faulted the PDP for relying on documentary evidence that was “dumped” on the court without proper demonstration, and for failing to call essential witnesses to validate their claims, particularly regarding data from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Despite the legal defeat, Ighodalo praised the spirit of his supporters, especially the youth and elders who he said had placed hope in his candidacy.
“To every young person who saw in this moment the birth of a new Edo… to every woman and man who prayed, campaigned, and voted — we may not have won the office, but we won something greater.
We found one another. We discovered our collective strength,” he wrote.
Ighodalo warned that the consequences of what he described as a “flawed” judgment would be felt in the governance of the state.
“I fear Edo will feel it in the absence of leadership, in the poverty of policy, and in the daily suffering of her people,” he said, urging those currently in power to “lead with humility” and “govern with conscience,” while stressing that “history sees what the courts may not.”
“Though this painful chapter closes today, our beautiful story does not end. The struggle to reclaim the soul of our beloved state continues… We will not retreat. We will not be silenced.
And we will never forget.”
Recall that Governor Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared winner of the September 21, 2024, governorship poll with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo of the PDP who polled 247,655 votes.
A former lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing the party’s inability to rescue Nigeria from what he described as “prevailing political cankerworms”.
Melaye, a former senator for Kogi West, made this known today via a post on his official X handle, where he shared a signed resignation letter addressed to the PDP chairman in Ward 1, Aiyetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
In the letter dated July 4, 2025, Melaye said the decision became “imperative due to the lack of potency and capacity by the party to deliver the Nigerian people from the prevailing political cankerworms that have eaten deeply into the fabric of our dear nation”.
The 2023 governorship candidate of the PDP stated that after careful reflection on the state of the party, he could no longer, in good conscience, participate in its activities or support its agenda.
“In view of the above, please consider this as my formal withdrawal from the party and all its activities at all levels with immediate effect,” the letter read.
Melaye also expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve under the PDP during his period of membership.
His resignation adds to the growing wave of political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, has suspended his Special Adviser on Oil and Gas, Felix Osemwengie Isere, for alleged unauthorised fundraising over an upcoming oil and has summit in the state.
The suspension was announced in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Ikhilor, on Tuesday in Benin.
The SSG said the governor also announced the immediate halt of the planned summit, scheduled to begin on August 7.
“Due to the breach, the proposed summit is suspended, and Isere is directed to refund all monies collected from donors for the event.
“Prospective donors are hereby advised to stop all dealings with the suspended adviser,” Ikhilor said.
(NAN)
Former Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), signaling a major political shift in Benue State.
In a letter addressed to the Atirkyese Council Ward Chairman in Benue State, Orhii explained that his decision followed wide-ranging consultations with stakeholders across different levels.
“After intensive consultations with my family, friends, thousands of my supporters and political associates locally, nationally and globally, I have decided to resign my membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with immediate effect,” he stated.
Dr. Orhii, who was a PDP governorship aspirant in both the 2019 and 2023 elections, added that his resignation would allow him to join the ADC’s national “rescue mission.”
“This is to enable me join the coalition of other progressive-minded Nigerians in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on the rescue mission,” he explained.
He expressed gratitude to the PDP for providing him a platform to serve the nation, particularly during his tenure as NAFDAC boss.
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