Ighodalo rejects S’Court Verdict, Says Edo mandate ‘tragically validated robbery’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2024 Edo State governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, has rejected the Supreme Court judgment affirming Governor Monday Okpebholo’s victory, describing it as a “tragic validation of a coordinated robbery.”

In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday following the apex court’s unanimous dismissal of his appeal, Ighodalo accepted the finality of the judgment but insisted it did not amount to justice.

“Though I accept the finality of its judgment, I do not and cannot pretend that what was delivered amounts to justice,” he said. “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.”

Ighodalo said the judgment had left him and his supporters with a deep sense of betrayal – not only by those who, according to him, rigged the election, but also by institutions meant to safeguard democracy.

“You came out in hope. You voted for competence, for progress, for prosperity. And now, we are told that your voice does not matter. That your freely given mandate can be trampled without consequence,” he lamented.

While calling on his supporters to remain strong, Ighodalo praised the resilience and unity that emerged during the campaign, saying that although the office was lost, a collective awakening had been achieved.

“We may not have won the office, but we won something greater. We found one another. We discovered our collective strength,” he stated.

The former PDP candidate warned that the consequences of what he described as an “illegitimate” administration would likely manifest in poor governance, absence of leadership, and deepening hardship for Edo people. However, he urged citizens not to give in to despair.

“We may be wounded. But all wounds heal. So let this be our vow. We will not retreat. We will not be silenced. And we will never forget,” he declared.

Addressing the APC-led government, Ighodalo urged those in power to govern with humility and conscience, warning that while the courts may have delivered a verdict, history would eventually give its own.

“To those who now hold power undeserved, lead with humility. Govern with conscience. History sees what the courts may not. And one day, it will deliver its own verdict,” he concluded.

The Supreme Court earlier on Thursday dismissed Ighodalo’s appeal against the election of Governor Okpebholo, upholding the decisions of both the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had ruled in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.

Okpebholo was declared winner of the September 21, 2024, governorship election with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo who polled 247,655 votes.