Amanze ChinonyeAsue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2024 Edo State governorship election, has reacted to the Supreme Court judgment that affirmed the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo, describing the ruling as unjust despite accepting its finality.
In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday, Ighodalo said that while he would not oppose the court’s decision, he “cannot pretend that what was delivered amounts to justice.” He described the September 2024 governorship poll as a “robbery” and accused unnamed actors of coordinating a “deliberate” subversion of the people’s will.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“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 statement read.
Ighodalo expressed disappointment in the country’s institutions, which he said had failed to protect democracy. He lamented that the votes of Edo citizens who came out “in hope” for competence and prosperity had been frustrated.
READ ALSO: Supreme Court Affirms Election Of Okpebholo As Edo Governor
Ighodalo, a lawyer and former chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, however, urged his supporters to remain resolute, insisting that the struggle to “reclaim the soul of our beloved state” was not over.
“To those who now hold power undeserved, lead with humility. Govern with conscience,” he added, warning that “history sees what the courts may not” and would, in time, deliver its own verdict.
The Supreme Court judgment delivered on July 10 effectively closed the legal contest over the 2024 governorship election in Edo State. Governor Monday Okpebholo, who ran under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and had his victory affirmed by both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal before the apex court’s final ruling.
While the ruling ends the legal battle, Ighodalo’s statement signals lingering political tensions ahead of future contests in Edo State.
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