The Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Akure, the state capital, has upheld the victory of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in the November 16 2024 Governorship election in the state.
It upheld the governor’s victory after dismissing the petition filed by the People’s democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Agboola Ajayi, for lacking in merit.
Aside from the PDP, other parties that challenged the result included the Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, Allied Peoples’ Movement, and African Democratic Congress with all suits dismissed.
The tribunal gave the judgment on Wednesday evening, confirming that Aiyedatiwa won the November 16, 2024, governorship election with 366,781 votes.
They claimed that the election was full of irregularities like over-voting, multiple thumb-printing, and failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
But in a unanimous ruling, the three-man panel led by Justice Benson Ogbu said the petitions had no merit.
“The petitioners failed to provide enough evidence. Their claims were weak, lacked seriousness, and could not stand in court,” the tribunal said.
Specifically, the court ruled that the PDP and its candidate, Agboola Ajayi, could not prove their case, saying they made serious allegations but did not bring strong evidence.
“There is no way the tribunal can confirm non-compliance with the law when no clear proof was shown,” the judges said.
They added that Ajayi “failed woefully” to show that electoral irregularities affected the outcome of the election.
Reacting to the judgment, PDP’s lawyer, Olujimi Oluseye, said the party would study the ruling before deciding to appeal.
“We respect the court, but we’re not satisfied. Our clients have a right to challenge this. We’ll get a copy of the judgment and review it,” he said.
In his own reaction, Aiyedatiwa thanked God and the people of Ondo State. He called on opposition members to join his government to build the state.
“I give thanks to God and to the people of Ondo. About 366,000 voters gave us the mandate, and now the tribunal has confirmed it. Some thought they could steal the victory through the back door, but the court has proved otherwise,” he said.
Aiyedatiwa also urged those who lost to work with his team.
“We are ready to work with everyone. From the day I was declared winner, I invited others to bring their ideas so we can build Ondo together,” he said.
