News
Leaked copies of Edo Tribunal judgement surface online, affirms Okpebholo
Confusion erupted as leaked copies of a yet-to-be-read judgement of the Edo State Governorship tribunal have flooded the internet barely hours before judgement day.
According to the judgement document making the rounds on the internet, the lead judgement dismissed the petition and affirmed the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Recall that the Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal had, on March 3, reserved its judgement on the case the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, filed to challenge the outcome of the governorship poll that was held in the state on September 21, 2024.
The panel had, in the early hours of Tuesday, directed the parties to appear before it on Wednesday, 2 April 2025, for the judgement.
In what appeared as a leakage, copies of the judgement made their way into the internet, indicating a two-to-one split in the decision of the tribunal.
The leaked document showed that the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Kpochi, and member 1 of the tribunal, Justice A. B. Yusuf, dismissed the petition and affirmed the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo, while the third member of the panel, Justice A. A. Adewole, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Ighodalo of the PDP as the authentic winner of the poll.
According to the minority judgement, Justice Adewole held that Governor Okpebholo’s election was invalid by reason of non-substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.
He held that the 2nd Respondent, Governor Okpebholo, was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast and proceeded to nullify his return as the winner of the gubernatorial contest.
The petitioner’s case was not rebutted and showed, unit by unit, how the actual total should be 243,113 votes, while the 2nd respondent’s tally should stand at 210,326 votes — a clear reversal of the declared result,” Justice Adewole was credited with having held in the leaked documents.
However, in the lead and majority decision of the tribunal, its chairman, Justice Kpochi, held that “while there was credible evidence of non-compliance, particularly concerning section 73(2) (failure to record serial numbers in EC 25B) and section 51(2) (over-voting), the petitioners failed to demonstrate that these breaches substantially affected the outcome of the election as required under section 135(1) of the Electoral Act”
On the issue of the majority of lawful votes, the petitioners established instances of incorrect collation and exclusion of results. However, their mathematical and documentary evidence did not conclusively establish that the margin of lead was overtaken or that they scored the highest number of lawful votes.
The majority judgement relied on the strength of the Supreme Court’s decided cases in Oyetola vs. Adeleke, 2023, 10 NWLR (Pt 1892), as well as Atiku vs. INEC (2023), 19 NWLR, pt. 1927. The panel held that the petitioners failed to prove not only that non-compliance occurred but also that it was substantial enough to have affected the result of the election.
“We find that the petitioners have not discharged the dual burden to the satisfaction of the law.
“Accordingly, the petition lacks merit and is hereby dismissed,” the document further read.
Meanwhile, Ekwutosblog was unable to confirm the originality of the leaked judgement document as of filing this report.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared that Okpebholo of the APC secured a total of 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ighodalo of the PDP, who got a total of 247,655 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, the PDP and its candidate, Ighodalo, approached the tribunal on October 11, 2024, alleging that it was not conducted with substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.
News
US Reacts As De@th Toll In Kwara Terror Attacks Hits 200
The United States Mission in Nigeria has condemned the k!lling of more than 200 civilians in recent attacks on communities in Kwara State.
Recall that terrorists launched de@dly attacks on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday night, k!lling unsuspecting citizens.
It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the villages, opened fire on residents and burned homes.
According to reports, the de@th toll from the unfortunate incident hit 200 on Thursday night.
Reacting, the US Mission Nigeria condemned the k!lling via a post on its official X handle.
The post reads, “The United States condemns the horrific attack in Kwara state in Nigeria, which claimed the lives of more than 160 people, with the de@th toll still unconfirmed and many still unaccounted for.
“We express our deepest condolences to the families of those affected by this senseless violence.
“We welcome President Tinubu’s order to deploy security forces to protect villages in the area and his directive to federal and state officials to provide aid to the community and bring the perpetrators of this atrocity to justice.”
News
“I’ll never settle for a barber, yahoo boy or a poor man” — nail tech’s list of men she says she can’t marry sparks reactions online
A Nigerian nail technician has set social media talking after openly listing the kind of men she says she can never settle for.
In a now-viral post, she stated clearly that she refuses to “settle for less” and went on to mention professions and traits she considers a no-go area.
According to her, she can never settle for a barber, an aza man, a yahoo boy, a mechanic, an actor, a laundry man, a hype man, or a plumber. She also added that she wouldn’t marry a man with a high body count or a poor man.

News
Nigeria Police Force successfully repatriates $23,000 to international romance scam victim
The Nigeria Police Force INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja has successfully repatriated the sum of Twenty-Three Thousand United States Dollars ($23,000) recovered from an international romance scammer to the victim in The Cayman Islands.
A statement from CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, spokesperson of the force, says the repatriation followed a request received from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service seeking assistance of the INTERPOL NCB Abuja to investigate a Nigerian national, Achufusi Obioma Ikenna, who defrauded a resident of the Cayman Islands through an online romance scam.
‘’Acting on the request, INTERPOL NCB Abuja conducted discreet, intelligence-led investigations which led to the arrest of the suspect and the recovery of the sum of $23,000.
Following the completion of all necessary documentation and in collaboration with international partners, the recovered funds were formally handed over to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, through the British High Commission in Abuja, represented by Mr. Shaun McLeary, for secure delivery to the victim.’’
Hundeyin added that the suspect will be arraigned at the conclusion of investigation.
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