The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure has upheld the victory of Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the November 16, 2024, governorship election
In a unanimous ruling delivered on Thursday, the three-member panel—Justice Nimpar Yargata, Justice K.I. Amadi, and Justice I.M. Sani—dismissed the appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied People’s Movement (APM), and Social Democratic Party (SDP), ruling that the appellants failed to substantiate their claims of electoral malpractice.
The appellate court held that the petitioners presented no credible evidence to support their allegations of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, over-voting, or widespread irregularities. It also noted that the appellants were unable to present credible witnesses or compelling arguments to back their claims of flawed results across polling units and local governments.
The court imposed a fine of N1.5 million on the petitioners.
This decision upholds the earlier ruling of the Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which on June 4 dismissed the petitions as “speculative” and lacking merit.
Reacting to the verdict, Governor Aiyedatiwa described the ruling as a validation of the people’s mandate and thanked the justices for their diligence.
“I give glory to Almighty God who orchestrated this journey from the beginning and used the good people of Ondo State. Over 366,000 electorate gave us their mandate on November 16, 2024, 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.”
He also extended gratitude to his deputy, Olaide Adelami, his legal team, APC leaders and members, and President Bola Tinubu for fostering a fair electoral process.
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