Ondo: Appeal Court Upholds Aiyedatiwa, Deputy’s Victory

THE Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has affirmed the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Olayide Adelami, dismissing an appeal challenging the validity of the APC primary that produced them as candidates.

The unanimous judgment, delivered by Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, upheld the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court which dismissed the suit filed by Olugbenga Edema, candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), on procedural grounds.

Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke of the Federal High Court had ruled that the suit became incompetent after the NNPP withdrew from the case, leaving Edema without a proper legal standing.

Edema, through his counsel, Mr. Abayomi Ojo, had sought to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the nomination of Aiyedatiwa and Adelami, citing constitutional breaches in the APC primary process.

He urged the court to interpret Section 15 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Following the dismissal, Edema approached the appellate court seeking to overturn the decision.

However, all the respondents — including INEC, APC, Aiyedatiwa, and Adelami — urged the court to dismiss the appeal, arguing that it lacked merit and constituted an abuse of court process.

The appellate court agreed, resolving all issues against Edema and awarding a fine of N1 million to each respondent.

Remi Olatubora SAN, counsel to the Deputy Governor, welcomed the judgment, describing the suit as a waste of judicial resources.

He said, “This is a case of an individual who contested under NNPP but is challenging the APC candidate’s victory. Our laws should not permit such cases. Justice has prevailed.”

Also speaking, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kayode Ajulo SAN, praised the judges’ diligence and emphasized that the court’s decision reaffirmed the people’s mandate.

He said, “The people spoke clearly. This is not a time for endless litigation but a time to unite and move Ondo State forward.”