The Appeal Court in Akure has upheld the election of APC candidate Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr. Olayide Adelami, in the November 16, 2024, Ondo State off-cycle elections. A three-judge appellate panel, including Justices Nimpar Yargata, K.I. Amadi, and I.M. Sani, unanimously dismissed the opposition’s appeal on Thursday for insufficient evidence of Electoral
The Appeal Court in Akure has upheld the election of APC candidate Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr. Olayide Adelami, in the November 16, 2024, Ondo State off-cycle elections.
A three-judge appellate panel, including Justices Nimpar Yargata, K.I. Amadi, and I.M. Sani, unanimously dismissed the opposition’s appeal on Thursday for insufficient evidence of Electoral Act violations.
The judges ordered the appellants to pay N1.5 million after they failed to provide credible witnesses to support their claims of election irregularities in the state’s polling units.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Lucky Ayedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress the winner of the state election, with 366,781 votes. He defeated Agboola Ajayi of the People’s Democratic Party, who received 117,845 votes. Ayedatiwa also won in all 18 local government areas of Ondo State.
Displeased with the electoral commission’s declaration, the PDP candidate and party, along with the SDP, ADC, APM, and AA, petitioned the Ondo State Electoral Tribunal to overturn the election result, alleging irregularities in the poll.
They argued that the election violated the Electoral Act due to overvoting, multiple thumbprints, and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System failures and called for a new election.
On June 4, 2025, the Tribunal led by Justice Benson Ogbu unanimously dismissed the petition challenging the Ondo State Governor’s victory, citing insufficient evidence and unsubstantiated claims from the petitioners.
Unhappy with the tribunal’s ruling, the PDP, ADC, APM, and SDP appealed, arguing the lower court overlooked key evidence and exhibits.
The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the APC candidate and deputy, stating that the appellants did not pursue their cases with credible witnesses to support their appeal. As a result, the court affirmed the APC candidates as the winners of the state gubernatorial election.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa welcomed the Court of Appeal’s ruling, thanking God and the state’s people for supporting the decision.
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 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,” he said.
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