The Court of Appeal in Abuja has rejected Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s appeal challenging his eligibility to run in the state’s next governorship election.
The appeal was against a November 24, 2025, ruling by the Federal High Court in Akure.
A three-judge panel delivered a unanimous judgment, upholding the lower court’s decision to allow the plaintiff, Akindele Egbuwalo, to amend his originating summons.
Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, said Aiyedatiwa failed to show that the trial judge’s ruling caused him any injustice or denied him a fair hearing.
The appellate court dismissed the governor’s appeal for lacking merit and ordered him to pay N2 million in legal costs.
Earlier, the court had also turned down Aiyedatiwa’s request to overturn a January 27, 2026, order that paused further proceedings in the case at the Federal High Court in Akure.
The Court of Appeal explained that the order was a proper exercise of its authority to maintain the integrity of its proceedings and did not nullify the trial court’s judgment.
The court noted that by the time the January order was issued, Aiyedatiwa’s appeal had already been filed, records compiled, and briefs submitted.
The appellate court said setting aside its order would essentially mean reviewing its own decision, which is not allowed, and noted that the governor’s next option would be to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The court also imposed N1 million in costs against Aiyedatiwa for filing the application to overturn the January 27 order.
KanyiDaily recalls that Lucky Aiyedatiwa recently denied claims that he was behind the attack on the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure.
