The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday affirmed the election victory of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr. Olayide Adelami, in the November 16, 2024, governorship poll.
However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Adeyemi Nejo, rejected the verdict and vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court.
Nejo stated, “The dismissal of the ADC’s appeal by the Court of Appeal is not the end of the road. We will certainly explore our constitutional right of appeal to the Supreme Court in line with Section 233 (2) (e) (iv) of the Constitution.
“We repose high confidence in the Supreme Court to interrogate and do justice to our petition, which resulted from irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 that plagued the election and the subsequent declaration of Lucky Aiyedatiwa as governor.”
The Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Leye Igbabo, while reacting to the court ruling, said the party would study the appellate court’s judgment before deciding on its next steps.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the 2024 governorship election with 366,781 votes, defeating candidates of other parties.
Multiple parties, including the PDP, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Action Alliance (AA), the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), and the ADC, filed petitions alleging electoral irregularities.
On June 4, 2025, the Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal struck out all petitions for non-compliance with electoral laws. The aggrieved parties appealed the ruling.
Delivering its unanimous judgment, the three-man panel of the appellate court, comprising Justice Nimpar Yargata, Justice K.I. Amadi and Justice I.M. Sani dismissed the appeals, stating that the petitioners failed to substantiate their claims.
The court noted that no credible witnesses were called at the tribunal and that the appellants failed to demonstrate how alleged irregularities affected the election outcome across polling units, wards, and local government areas.
The court also awarded ₦1.5 million in costs against the appellants.
Aiyedatiwa Reacts To Appeal Court Ruling
Governor Aiyedatiwa welcomed the judgment, describing it as a reaffirmation of the people’s will.
He said, “I give glory to Almighty God who orchestrated this journey from the beginning and used the good people of Ondo State,” he said.
“Over 366,000 residents gave us their mandate on November 16 last year 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.”
The post ADC Heads To Supreme Court As Appeal Court Upholds Aiyedatiwa’s Governorship appeared first on Naija News.
