A leaked document, purported to be the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, has surfaced online, stirring widespread controversy and speculation ahead of the tribunal’s official verdict scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
The unsigned document, which reportedly carries the petition number of the case filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Asuerime Ighodalo, against Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has raised concerns about its authenticity and potential implications.
Our correspondence got information from a source that the document was reviewed and some evidence were found and the evidence found suggested that, suggests a split decision among the three-member tribunal panel, with two justices ruling in favor of Okpebholo, while one dissented.
According to the leaked document, the tribunal panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had Justice A. B. Yusuf concurring with the chairman to uphold Okpebholo’s election, while Justice A. A. Adewole ruled in favor of Ighodalo.
Justices Kpochi and Yusuf reportedly dismissed the PDP’s petition, acknowledging electoral irregularities but deeming them insufficient to alter the outcome of the election. Citing Supreme Court precedents, they maintained that the margin of victory remained unchanged despite the observed discrepancies.
In contrast, Justice Adewole, in his dissenting judgment, argued that the total valid votes showed Ighodalo with 243,113 votes against Okpebholo’s 210,326. He declared the election invalid due to non-compliance with the Electoral Act and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Ighodalo. He further ruled that the PDP’s claims were not effectively countered and that evidence pointed to an incorrect declaration of results.
With the official judgment yet to be delivered, the leaked document has triggered intense debate, with observers questioning whether it accurately reflects the tribunal’s final ruling or is merely speculative. The development has added another layer of uncertainty to the already tense political atmosphere in Edo State
