Ondo State Governor Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s election has been validated by an appeal court located in Akure, the state capital.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) case was among the many that the three-member appellate court unanimously rejected on Thursday for lack of substance.
Reiterating the lower court’s earlier ruling, the Court of Appeal confirmed Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Dr. Olayide Adelami’s election as Ondo State’s governor and deputy governor, respectively.
The results of the November 16, 2024, governorship election, in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) proclaimed Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Olayide Adelami of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the declared winners, were upheld by the Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on June 4, 2025.
However, in their appeals against the tribunal’s ruling, the PDP, African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied People’s Movement (APM), and Social Democratic Party (SDP) prayed the appellate court would declare the results of the November 16, 2024, governorship election void.
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Following the dismissal of several political parties’ challenges against the June 4, 2025, ruling of the Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which upheld the APC candidates’ election, this came about.
In the meantime, the three presiding judges—Justice Nimpar Yargata, Justice K.I. Amadi, and Justice I.M. Sani—unanimously rejected the appeals one after the other because the appellants had not provided evidence to support their allegations of Electoral Act noncompliance.
Since the appellants did not demonstrate how their claims impacted the election in the different polling places, wards, and local government regions where the election was held, the Justices determined that they had not proven their claims against the election.
Additionally, the court decided that the parties had given up their arguments because no reliable witnesses had been called to support their allegations of widespread irregularities in the different polling places.
With a cost of N1.5 million against the appellants, the Court of Appeal upheld the tribunal’s rulings in every instance and proclaimed Drs. Aiyedatiwa and Adelami the elected governor and deputy governor of Ondo State, respectively.
Governor Aiyedatiwa responded to the ruling by praising the Justices of the Appeal Court for reviewing the cases in great depth and rendering unanimous rulings.
He expressed his thanks to God and the people of Ondo State, saying that the Appeal Court’s ruling had upheld the people’s will.
“I give glory to the Almighty God who from the beginning orchestrated this journey and used the good people of Ondo State,” stated Governor Aiyedatiwa.
As the eighth democratically elected governor of this state, we were voted in by more than 366,000 citizens on November 16 of last year.
The tribunal recognized that mandate, and the Appeal Court has now confirmed it.
The judiciary has carried out its duty by maintaining the decision made by the majority of voters in each of the state’s 18 local government districts, despite attempts by certain political parties to do so through the back door.
The support of his deputy, his legal team, and APC leaders and members was also acknowledged by Governor Aiyedatiwa.
As stated by the tribunal headed by Justice Benson Ogubu, “The petitions against the victory of Aiyedatiwa and his deputy were worthless and unmeritorious and were therefore dismissed.”
The APC’s state chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, responded to the Appeal Court’s ruling by stating that the PDP and other appellants should just stop pursuing frivolities because their accusations lacked serious proof.
In order to prepare for the upcoming election, he advised them to adopt a sportsmanlike attitude. Adetimehin stated: “I don’t see anything substantial in their claims, so I don’t think they will still go to the Supreme Court.”
The state will be holding another election in the coming years, so they should just quit squandering time and money and start getting ready for it. It is best for them to concede defeat.
