Appeal Court affirms Aiyedatiwa’s election as Ondo governor

The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, has dismissed the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 16, 2024 governorship election in Ondo State, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, challenging the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The dismissal affirmed the judgement of the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal delivered on June 4, 2025, which had upheld the election of Aiyedatiwa and Dr Olayide Adelami as the Governor and Deputy Governor of the state.

The PDP, African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied People’s Movement (APM), and Social Democratic Party (SDP) had filed separate appeals against the tribunal’s ruling, seeking the nullification of the November 16, 2024 governorship election.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, the appellate court upheld the tribunal’s decision and validated the election of Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Adelami.

The panel of Justices, comprising Justice Nimpar Yargata, Justice K.I. Amadi, and Justice I.M. Sani, unanimously struck out the appeals one after the other, ruling that the appellants failed to substantiate their claims of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

The Justice Nimpar Yargata-led panel held that the PDP candidate’s appeal lacked merit, stating that the appellants failed to prove their allegations against the conduct of the election.

According to the panel, the appellants were unable to demonstrate that the alleged irregularities affected the outcome of the election across the polling units, wards, and local government areas where the election was conducted.

The court noted that the appellants abandoned their cases by failing to present credible witnesses or substantial evidence to support their claims of widespread electoral malpractice.

It consequently affirmed the tribunal’s ruling in all the appeals and declared Aiyedatiwa and Adelami duly elected, awarding a cost of N1.5 million against the appellants.

Reacting to the judgment, Governor Aiyedatiwa described it as a welcome development and commended the Appeal Court justices for painstakingly reviewing the cases and delivering a detailed unanimous verdict.

Governor Aiyedatiwa expressed gratitude to God and the people of Ondo State, stating that the Court of Appeal’s ruling reaffirmed the will of the people.

He described the judicial process as a crucial pillar of democracy and the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.

He said: “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.

“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 backdoor. 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.

“I want to use this opportunity to thank the people of Ondo State, who gave us the mandate overwhelmingly, the recording broken victory.

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“I want to thank their support from the beginning to this moment because they believe that the antics and rigmarole by other political parties that lost the election especially the PDP cannot steal the mandate of through the back door.

“Today, the Appeal Court has just affirmed that we convincingly won the election. I want to thank the panels of judges right from the petition to the appeal for painstakingly going through the entire process, looking at issues that were raised and dispensed justice without fear or favour,” he said.

The governor also extended his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for ensuring a level playing field for all political parties, and appreciated his deputy, legal team, APC leaders, and party members for their support.

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