JUST IN: Supreme court adjourns verdict on Edo guber dispute indefinitely

The Supreme Court has postponed indefinitely the delivery of its judgment in the legal battle surrounding the outcome of the Edo State Governorship Election.

The adjournment, which was described as sine die (without assigning a specific date), comes after the apex court concluded hearing final legal arguments in the case challenging the legitimacy of Senator Monday Okphebholo’s election as governor.

Presiding over the panel, Justice Garba Lawal informed the parties involved that the court would announce the date of its verdict at a later time.

The appeal was filed by Mr. Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with legal representation by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ken Mosia.

Ighodalo is urging the apex court to nullify Obekpolo’s election and declare him the rightful winner of the poll.

His ground was that he scored the majority of lawful votes in the election.

However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), represented by Kanu Agabi, SAN, asked the apex court to dismiss the appeal in its entirety.

Agabi argued that Ighodalo and the PDP had, in their petition, stigmatized the election as invalid and unlawful on the ground of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.

The electoral body said that having declared the election as unlawful and illegal, Ighodalo and the PDP cannot turn around and pray the court to declare them as winners of an illegality.

INEC accused Ighodalo and the PDP of being inconsistent in their grievances against the election and pleaded that their case be dismissed for want of merit.