The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday upheld the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr. Olayide Adelami, declaring them the duly elected leaders of Ondo State following the November 16, 2024, governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier declared Aiyedatiwa, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the election with a total of 366,781 votes, defeating contenders from other political parties.
In addition to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), several other parties—including the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Action Alliance (AA), Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC)—filed petitions challenging the outcome. They alleged that the election was marred by widespread irregularities and non-compliance with electoral laws across numerous polling units.
However, the Ondo State Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the petitions, upholding Aiyedatiwa’s victory.
Dissatisfied with the tribunal’s decision, the petitioners took their case to the Court of Appeal.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, a three-member panel comprising Justice Nimpar Yargata, Justice K.I. Amadi, and Justice I.M. Sani, unanimously dismissed the appeals. The court ruled that the appellants failed to substantiate their claims of electoral malpractice or demonstrate how the alleged irregularities impacted the outcome in specific polling units, wards, or local government areas.
The court further noted that the appellants effectively abandoned their cases, as they failed to present credible witnesses or evidence to support their allegations of widespread irregularities.
Consequently, the appellate court affirmed the tribunal’s judgments and declared Aiyedatiwa and Adelami as the duly elected Governor and Deputy Governor of Ondo State. It also awarded N1.5 million in costs against the appellants.