The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, putting to rest the legal challenge brought by Asue Ighodalo, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a unanimous decision delivered by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court dismissed Ighodalo’s appeal, describing it as lacking in merit and unsupported by credible evidence.

“The appellant did not satisfactorily discharge the burden of proof placed on him by the law,” the court ruled.

The panel upheld the earlier rulings of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, both of which had validated Okpebholo’s election following the 2025 Edo governorship poll.

The PDP and its candidate had alleged widespread irregularities, including over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act, in 432 of the 4,519 polling units. However, the Supreme Court noted that the petitioners failed to back their claims with substantive evidence.

A key flaw in the PDP\'s case was the failure to call relevant witnesses to support documents tendered in court. The justices also cited poor handling of evidence related to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), saying that the machines and associated data were not adequately linked to the specific claims made by the petitioners.

Ighodalo had asked the court to overturn the May 29 judgment of the appellate court and declare him the rightful winner. However, the court instead reaffirmed the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which gave Okpebholo 291,667 votes, ahead of Ighodalo\'s 247,655 votes.

The decision reinforces Okpebholo’s mandate and ends months of legal uncertainty following the keenly contested election. It also underscores the judiciary’s insistence on credible, verifiable evidence in election petitions.

INEC, Governor Okpebholo, and the APC had all urged the court to dismiss the appeal—an argument the apex court has now upheld conclusively.