The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed Asue Ighodalo as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for the upcoming Edo State governorship election, scheduled for September 21, 2024.
In a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Hamma Barka, the appellate court struck out an appeal filed by fellow PDP aspirants Arthur Esene and Anselm Ojezua, who sought to disqualify Ighodalo. The court ruled that the suit was statute-barred and lacked merit.
Esene and Ojezua had appealed against an April 17, 2024 ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which dismissed their case. They claimed that Ighodalo had forged his voter card, but the court found no evidence to support this allegation. It also ruled that non-possession of a voter card was not a disqualifying factor under the Constitution or the Electoral Act.
The Appeal Court agreed with the Federal High Court’s findings and confirmed that Ighodalo had followed due process by applying to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transfer his voter registration from Lagos to Edo State. INEC subsequently issued him a valid voter card.
In addition to affirming Ighodalo’s candidacy, the court ordered Esene, Ojezua, and others involved in the suit to pay N3 million in costs to Ighodalo, PDP, and INEC.
