Supreme Court Adjourns Judgment Indefinitely in Edo Governorship Dispute

The Supreme Court has indefinitely postponed its judgment in the high-profile legal dispute over the governorship of Edo State, intensifying political uncertainty in the state.

Justice Garba Lawal, who presided over the proceedings on Wednesday, announced the adjournment during the hearing of the appeal filed by Mr. Asue Ighodalo and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He stated that a new date for the judgment would be communicated to all parties in due course.

In the appeal, Mr. Ighodalo, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ken Mosia, urged the apex court to annul the election of Obekpolo and declare him (Ighodalo) the rightful winner, claiming he secured the majority of lawful votes.

However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), represented by SAN Kanu Agabi, countered the appeal, asking the court to dismiss the case in its entirety. INEC argued that the petition submitted by Ighodalo and the PDP had described the election as invalid due to alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.

Agabi maintained that having discredited the election, the appellants could not simultaneously request to be declared its winners. He accused Ighodalo and the PDP of adopting contradictory legal positions and urged the court to dismiss the case for lacking merit.

In a related development, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Edo State, Dr. Samson Osagie, in June strongly refuted allegations of judicial interference in the ongoing Supreme Court case.

Addressing members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at their monthly meeting in Benin City, Dr. Osagie denied claims that he had met privately with a Supreme Court Justice to influence the outcome of the case.

Calling the allegations baseless and damaging, he stressed the need to uphold integrity within the legal profession and warned against the misuse of social media by legal practitioners.

As the legal battle drags on with no judgment date in sight, Edo State’s political future remains in limbo, with key stakeholders awaiting the Supreme Court’s final decision.