Appeal Court Upholds Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s Election As Ondo Governor

The Court of Appeal in Akure has upheld Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the duly elected governor of Ondo State.

In a ruling delivered on Thursday, a three-judge panel dismissed several appeals filed against Aiyedatiwa’s win in the November 16 election, declaring them without merit.

The appeals, brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Action Alliance (AA), were all thrown out for lack of merit and evidence.

The appellate court’s ruling backed an earlier decision delivered by the Ondo State Governorship Election Tribunal on June 4.

At that time, the tribunal dismissed the petitions against Aiyedatiwa, describing them as baseless and unsupported by credible evidence.

In his lead judgment at the tribunal, Justice Benson Ogubu noted that allegations such as certificate forgery, over-voting, and non-compliance with electoral guidelines were not proven by the petitioners.

Ogbudu said the tribunal found the evidence presented by the APM and SDP to be of no probative value and was based on speculation rather than concrete facts.

The tribunal also ruled that the AA lacked the locus standi to challenge the election results, noting that the party did not field a candidate and dismissed claims of corrupt practices and vote buying due to a lack of credible evidence.

Unhappy with the tribunal’s ruling, the petitioners approached the Court of Appeal.

However, the appellate court sided with the lower tribunal, stating that the political parties failed to show how any alleged irregularities impacted the results at polling units, wards, or local governments across the state.

The court further criticized the appellants for abandoning their cases, pointing out that they failed to call credible witnesses to support their claims of electoral malpractice.

Consequently, the appeal court reaffirmed Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Olayide Adelami, as the duly elected governor and deputy governor of Ondo State.

The court also ordered the appellants to pay a total cost of N1.5 million.

Reacting to the judgment, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa said the ruling confirmed the people’s will.

He accused opposition parties of attempting to reverse the election outcome through legal tactics but praised the judiciary for standing firm in defense of democracy.

“I give glory to almighty God who orchestrated this journey from the beginning and used the good people of Ondo State. Over 366,000 residents gave us their mandate on November 16 last year to continue governing this state as the seventh democratically elected governor,” he said.

“That mandate was validated by the tribunal and has now been reaffirmed by the appeal court. While some political parties tried to overturn the people’s decision through the back door, the judiciary has fulfilled its role by upholding the choice made by the majority of voters across the 18 local government areas of the state.”

Aiyedatiwa also thanked his deputy, legal team, and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for their unwavering support throughout the process.