By Sebastine Ebhuomhan
Monday, 23rd June, 2025. Abuja. Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC)-elected governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo’s defeated opponent and People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidate, Dr. Asuerinme Ighodalo, should have his wish to hear his petition challenging his loss of Saturday, 21st September, 2024, governorship election granted by the Supreme Court of Nigeria any time from now.
According to a close friend of the embattled lawyer and investment banker, Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Supreme Court received his appeal on Tuesday, 10th June, 2025. Tweeting under his official handle on X (formerly Twitter), @ChidiOdinkalu, the Professor of Law said, “3 days ago, on 10 June, @Aighodalo appealed to @SupremeCourtNg against the decision of @CourtOfAppealNG in the governorship petition.”
Odinkalu’s tweet voiced a fait accompli on the face of reasonable and justified persuasion of Ighodalo by the good citizens and indigenes of Edo State in a bid to stop him from continuing his meaningless Damascus journey to political oblivion. They had appealed to save him and his few remaining party members from the heartbreak of another inescapable defeat at the apex court, the highest, final constitutional court of appeal in Nigeria. But Ighodalo, like the proverbial stubborn dog heading for disaster, has refused to heed the plea of his loving people.
In a Friday, 13th June, 2025 tweet partly quoted above, Odinkalu, a human rights activist and former chair of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) confidently claimed, “Shortly after 8pm last night, a senior, male JSC left Protea Hotel (near ShopRite in Benin) in the company of the Edo State Attorney-Gen. How so?!”
In a following tweet to @NigeriaLawyers’ retweet of his original allegation, Odinkalu finally mentioned the name of the senior, male JSC in an apparent response to his followers’ demand after initially challenging the unnamed JSC to try to deny first before revealing the name. He made further allegation in the process. “The records will show that senior, Justice of @SupremeCourtNg, Inyang Okoro, drove out of the premises of Protea Hotel near ShopRite in Benin last night with State Attorney-General, Samson Osagie, in the latter’s car. Did he disclose that to the CJN? Where did they go together?”
In a following tweet the same day, Odinkalu posted a 23-second video of the Honourable Justice of the Supreme Court, Inyang John Okoro, approaching the lobby of Protea Hotel alone after alighting from a small car that drove off. Odinkalu captioned it: “For the benefit of those seeking corroboration of my claim about Justice of @SupremeCourtNg in Protea Hotel, yesterday…”
In yet another tweet, his last for the day, Odinkalu said, “I am happy we are no longer discussing whether or not Inyang Okoro, Justice of the @SupremeCourtNg, was in Benin or at Protea Hotel yesterday. Folks now want to know what more I know. If the #NigerianJudiciary will not police itself, citizens will help them…”
Within hours of the claims, The Nigeria Lawyer, Law and Society Magazine, The Nigerian Barrister, Nigerian Law and Politics News, Daily Justice, ChatNewsTV, Sahara Reporters and the notorious PDP propaganda machine feasted on the controversy and amplified it globally. Nigeria’s reckless opposition quickly made a meal of the unverified claims by secretly contacting authorities and sending out copies of its petition from which People’s Gazette published a report from a new angle that “Justice John Okoro, accused by SSS of taking bribes, spotted loitering Benin hotel as Edo election dispute reaches Nigerian Supreme Court.”
Odinkalu went ahead next day to ground his allegation on the NJC Code of Conduct for judges, which he titled: Concerning Judicial Integrity: A Statement, specifying how a judge should carry himself or herself professionally and privately in order to avoid impropriety and appearance of impropriety. Spurred, perhaps, by Odinkalu’s action, his followers and oppositional mob further alleged without proof or evidence that Justice Okoro was lobbying to be named into the Supreme Court panel to adjudicate Ighodalo’s petition.
However, the Supreme Court denied the allegations in a swift rebuttal on Saturday, 14th June. In a press statement signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Dr. Festus Akande, it clarified that Okoro’s travel to Benin City on 12th June was solely to attend the funeral rites of a prominent member of the legal profession, a former President of the African Bar Association (ABA), Hannibal Uwaifo. The statement added that the trip was a personal trip that the Chief Justice of Nigeria approved for Okoro.
“This private visit was strictly for the purposes of condolence and bereavement as is customary and humane,” the statement underlined while clarifying that the events Justice Okoro attended in Benin City were a service of songs and a funeral service at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church after which he returned to his hotel room.
The court categorically denied Odinkalu and his opposition friends’ allegations against Justice Okoro. “The Honourable Justice neither attended any political meeting nor solicited for inclusion on any panel as falsely alleged,” it highlighted before rubbishing Odinkalu’s video.
“The image being circulated purportedly as evidence merely shows the Justice returning alone to his hotel, hardly a basis for the sensational claims being peddled. The Supreme Court wishes to state unequivocally that this sort of baseless speculation and malicious conjecture, especially when publicly propagated by persons who ought to know better, is not only unhelpful but also deeply harmful to the integrity of the judiciary.”
Dr. Akande condemned the baseless and malevolent narratives against Justice Okoro, warning that such wicked actions undermine the judiciary’s credibility and public confidence. “The judiciary remains committed to upholding the rule of law and will not be distracted by deliberate attempts to undermine its credibility,” the statement concluded.
In his reaction, Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Rt. Hon. Samson Osagie also denied all the allegations. In a keynote address at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Benin Branch Monthly Meeting held at the Bar House on Sunday, 15th June, 2025, Dr. Osagie vehemently denied meeting, attending or having any discussion with Justice Okoro in Benin City or elsewhere. He knocked the claims as false, defamatory and damaging to the legal profession. “I was not even aware Justice Okoro was in Benin,” Osagie stated.
Calling for discipline and ethical responsibility in the legal profession, he urged lawyers to use the law as a tool for societal development instead of personal and political attacks.
With reference to the ongoing arrests of criminal suspects, prosecution of cult-related offenders, and the general application of justice in defence of the poor and under-privileged, Osagie reiterated, reaffirmed and reassured all at the ‘Lion Bar’ of the pursuit of rule of law, due process, fair hearing, non-partisanship and accountability by Edo State government under the leadership of Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Weighing in on the matter, Monday Ubani, SAN, a friend of both Uwaifo and Odinkalu, who he remonstrated should be aware of the burial programme, criticised Odinkalu for not reaching out to confirm his claims before rushing to post on social media.
Dr. Ubani said in a statement, “I know for a fact that Honourable Justice Inyang Okoro, JSC, CFR, was in Benin to attend the burial ceremony of the mother of my very dear friend, Hannibal Uwaifo, as an invited guest of Mr. Uwaifo. I was involved in the planning of the obsequies of our colleague’s late mother and attended all the events thereof and I know that His Lordship was in attendance both at the service of songs on Thursday, 12 June, 2025 and at the Funeral Service the following day, Friday, 13 June, 2025. The only event that I did not see His Lordship attend was the reception which followed the interment on Friday.
“It is actually asinine to link His Lordship’s private visit to Benin for the burial of a friend’s mother to the impending Edo State gubernatorial appeal that, according to social media reports, has just meandered its way to the Supreme Court in Abuja,” Ubani slammed.
In another reaction titled, Setting the Record Straight: Justice Inyang Okoro’s Visit to Benin City, signed by APC State Publicity Secretary, Barrister Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, the ruling party denied that the Justice’s visit had a relationship to any political or judicial matters, nonetheless the state election dispute Ighodalo is pursuing against Okpebholo.
“The attempt to draw a connection between a Supreme Court Justice’s private attendance at a private event and the yet to be constituted appeal panel is not only unfounded but also a deliberate smear campaign aimed at undermining the credibility of Nigeria’s judiciary,” the APC slated.
Almost two weeks today after the damaging, demoralising and destructive allegations, neither a public apology nor the promised records (proofs of evidence) have sufficed from the purveyors of the lies and falsehoods intended to malign, undermine and bring to disrepute a highly anticipated Supreme Court affirmation of the free, fair, peaceful, credible and populous election of Monday Okpebholo as Edo State governor.
Truly, Professor Odinkalu, my long-time personal friend and mentor, had honestly earned the trust, love and admiration of countless Nigerians and global citizens for freely and continuously lending his life to the fight for a better Nigerian society and also for being one of the brightest legal scholars and finest teachers to bless Nigeria.
With numerous works to his name, his latest book, The Selectorate: When Judges Topple the People, is a thought-provoking rendition of his questions on the 2023 presidential election won by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. Scrutinizing the legal pronouncements that trailed the presidential election, in which Odinkalu clearly supported the Labour Party (LP)’s losing candidate, ex-Governor Peter Obi, CON, he boldly questioned perceived legal rubberstamp of electoral malfeasance.
Though Odinkalu’s position on the presidential election and his fight for Dr. Obi are pure for all to see, what he is seeking to achieve in Edo State for Ighodalo, however, is clearly the opposite, by condescending to apply lies, sentiments and blackmails to legally upturn the popular election of Okpebholo.
The election of President Tinubu and Governor Okpebholo occurred at different times in history, encourged by different calculations and politics. Contrary to Odinkalu and the opposition’s belief, the majority people of Edo State indisputably voted for Senator Monday Okpebholo as the governor of Edo State on Saturday, 21st September, 2024. Beyond the seething anger and inherent hatred for APC by Obidients and their Atikulates counterpart, Okpebholo clearly and indubitably defeated Ighodalo with voters latching on the ingratitude, bullying, threats, killings, destruction, unaccountability, mismanagement, looting, and failed promises that characterised eight years of Ighodalo’s grammar-speaking political godfather, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who has since last year escaped into exile after abandoning the bid to reclaim their non-existing political mandate now at the Supreme Court.
For example, as a citizen journalist, equity and justice advocate, who started supporting Okpebholo’s governorship ambition since June 2023, I rejected invitations to meet the Obaseki administration officials for slush funds to support Ighodalo, Obaseki and PDP. Instead, I used my personal funds to publish and promote Okpebholo and the APC for Edo election victory. While the genuineness of Ighodalo’s voter’s card was disputed for court pronouncements within the PDP, I flew from Abuja to Benin City to register for the election. I galvanised voters’ registration for Okpebholo’s sake. I monitored the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s Continuous Voters Registration and reported my week-long observations across the three districts to the flag bearers.
I returned to Benin to vote for Monday Okpebholo; monitored the election inside heavy rains, thunderstorm and floods; and canvassed votes to ensure the APC overwhelmingly won my unit, my ward and my local government, Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, where I registered and voted at Garrick Memorial School. Despite controversially losing my job at the Presidential Amnesty Programme Office during the process of my campaign 14 months ago, which notification letter I personally handed to Senator Okpebholo in his house in Abuja, I did not ask him for money but still committed my resources to secure my vote and those of my family, friends, well-wishers, and readers. I published over 50 special reports in both mainstream media and social media before election besides live interviews, programmes etc.
Like me, countless others committed unalloyed loyalty in ensuring Obaseki never returned to office through Ighodalo. So, why is the intelligent, knowledgeable, cerebral and respected Odinkalu being misinformed by a bandwagon of unpatriotic fellows selling false narratives of Ighodalo and PDP as winners of Edo election? A band of blackmailers that quickly regroups for new jobs.
Even if the Supreme Court unexpectedly nullifies any of the units Ighodalo is contesting, orders fresh election since he did not ask the tribunal and appellate court to declare him the winner, he would reap fewer votes than he pitifully garnered last year for presumably being a better version of Obaseki.
The Appeal Court allowed Okpebholo’s cross-appeal after admitting its timeous filing and transmission under Sections 167 and 169 of the Evidence Act. It admitted the cross-appeal’s objection to the admissibility of 133 INEC BIVAS machines, which Ighodalo refused to open to prove allegations of over-voting.
The court highlighted Ighodalo’s inability to sustain arguments through his deliberate refusal to call relevant witnesses. Importantly, it nailed him for pleading no relief, especially as “the court has no jurisdiction to grant a petitioner any relief that was not pleaded.” The court further underlined the fact of the appellants’ failure to tabulate his correct score after all deductions, obviously because he still didn’t win.
Delivering the judgement, Honourable Justice Mohammed Danjuma, JCA, said, “There is no merit in this appeal. This appeal is hereby struck out. It would be right if we had dismissed it; not merely striking it out. As you can see in this appeal, it was simply a gamble.”
Edo people are happy with Monday Okpebholo as their governor because he talks less and acts more. Governance is about actions that positively impact people’s lives. Not promises that looted USD$150m (about N225 billion at the time) awarded contracts for the control of floods/erosion and left Edo State in worse environmental threats.
As Governor Okpebholo prepares with almost 100 brand new buses to commission the New Edo Line that Obaseki buried, fresh on the heels of acquiring tractors for farmers and granting N1 billion to traders, it will not just signify another translation of words into actions or gainful employment of thousands of jobless citizens in another critical economic sector but the crystallization of important campaign promises encapsulated in Edo State government’s SHINE Agenda. Indeed, a new Edo has risen under Akpakorescue.
Just like a pinch of salt, people must learn to take Ighodalo, Obaseki and PDP’s Edo election lamentation for what William Shakespear called it. “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” (Macbeth, Act V, Scene V, lines 17—28).
Mr. Sebastine EBHUOMHAN is an award-winning journalist and a media consultant from Edo State, who freely supported Monday Okpebholo to become state governor. He can be reached on: usie007@yahoo.com and 08037204620.
