Ondo guber: Opposition Party heads to Supreme Court after Aiyedatiwa’s A’court victory

News Update

THE Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday upheld the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr Olayide Adelami, affirming their victory in the November 16, 2024 governorship poll.

In response, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Mr Adeyemi Nejo, has vowed to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court. He insisted that the appellate court’s decision would not be the end of the road for the party’s legal battle.

“We remain resolute. The ADC will exercise its constitutional right to approach the Supreme Court, as provided under Section 233 (2) (e) (iv) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” Nejo said.

He expressed confidence that the apex court would thoroughly review the party’s petition, which he claims highlights substantial irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 during the election.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the opposition parties in the election, said it would study the judgment before deciding its next steps. This was disclosed by the party’s Director of Media and Publicity in the state, Mr Leye Igbabo.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier declared Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election, after he garnered 366,781 votes, defeating other contenders across party lines.

Following the announcement, the PDP, ADC, Social Democratic Party (SDP), Action Alliance (AA), and Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) filed separate petitions at the Ondo State Election Petitions Tribunal, citing widespread electoral malpractice and irregularities.

However, on June 4, 2025, the tribunal dismissed all the petitions, citing lack of merit and failure to comply with electoral laws. Dissatisfied with the ruling, the aggrieved parties proceeded to the appellate court.

In its ruling on Thursday, the three-man panel, Justices Nimpar Yargata, K.I. Amadi, and I.M. Sani unanimously struck out all the appeals. The court ruled that the appellants failed to prove their allegations of non-compliance and did not provide sufficient evidence or credible witnesses to back their claims of irregularities across polling units, wards, and local government areas.

The court further awarded a cost of N1.5 million against the appellants and upheld the tribunal’s judgment, declaring Aiyedatiwa and Adelami as duly elected.