The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure has upheld the tribunal’s judgment, confirming victory of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in the November 16 2024 Governorship election in the state.
Delivering judgment, the appellate court dismissed the appeals filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied People’s Movement (APM), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), all of which challenged the June 4 ruling of the Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
It will be recalled that the tribunal had affirmed the election victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the four opposition parties approached the appellate court, seeking to nullify the election and overturn the tribunal’s verdict.
However, a three-member panel of justices, Nimpar Yargata, K.I. Amadi, and I.M. Sani, unanimously dismissed the appeals, one after the other, citing lack of evidence to support claims of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The court held that the appellants failed to demonstrate how the alleged irregularities affected the outcome of the election in specific polling units, wards, or local government areas.
It further ruled that the petitioners had effectively abandoned their cases, as no credible witnesses were presented at the tribunal to substantiate claims of widespread irregularities.
Consequently, the appellate court upheld the tribunal’s judgments in all the cases and affirmed the election of Aiyedatiwa and Deputy Governor Olayide Adelami, awarding costs of ₦1.5 million against the appellants.
Reacting to the verdict, the governor described it as a welcome development and praised the Appeal Court justices for delivering thorough, unanimous judgments.
Expressing gratitude to God and the people of Ondo State, Aiyedatiwa said the ruling reaffirms the will of the electorate.
“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,” the governor stated.
