The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reaffirmed Asue Ighodalo as the authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State.
On Monday, the appellate court, presided over by Justice A. M. Lamido, dismissed Philip Shaibu’s appeal, challenging Ighodalo’s nomination.
The court upheld the May 27 judgment of the Abuja Federal High Court, declaring Ighodalo as the rightful candidate. The appellate court held that Shaibu’s suit was premature and lacked evidence of vote allocation against the respondent.
The conduct of the election and its results are presumed regular until proven otherwise, the court ruled. Shaibu’s affidavit failed to provide evidence of vote allocation to the 4th respondent. The court awarded a cost of N1 million against Shaibu in favour of the respondents.
The trial court was right, and Shaibu’s appeal was without merit. The judgment has put to rest the controversy surrounding the PDP governorship ticket in Edo State, affirming Ighodalo’s candidacy.
The court dismissed Shaibu’s case, reaffirming Ighodalo’s nomination as the PDP governorship candidate in Edo State.
