Edo 2024: Appeal Court’s CTC Judgment Confirms Ighodalo as PDP Governorship Candidate

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reaffirmed Dr. Asue Ighodalo as the official governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the upcoming Edo State elections. The court’s ruling, delivered on July 22, 2024, and documented in a Certified True Copy (CTC) dated August 8, 2024, dismisses the appeal filed by former Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu.

Shaibu’s appeal challenged the May 27th decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had previously validated Ighodalo’s candidacy. The appellate court, comprising Justices A.M. Lamido, Tunde Awotoye, and Patricia Mahmoud, upheld the lower court’s ruling, describing Shaibu’s case as premature and without merit. The court noted that Shaibu lacked the legal standing to contest the PDP primaries, as he did not participate in them.

The Court of Appeal further validated the delegate congresses conducted by the PDP, confirming that they were in line with the law and the party’s constitution. The delegates approved by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) were recognized as legitimate, and the primary election that produced Ighodalo as the party’s candidate was upheld.

Additionally, the court confirmed the authenticity of Ighodalo’s Permanent Voter Card (PVC), which had been validated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The Federal High Court had earlier ruled that Shaibu failed to provide sufficient evidence to challenge the legitimacy of Ighodalo’s PVC.

As part of the ruling, Shaibu was ordered to pay a fine of ₦1 million to each of the four respondents, including INEC, the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, and Dr. Asue Ighodalo.