The Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Akure has affirmed the election of Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the November 16, 2024, governorship poll in Ondo State.
The three-member panel, led by Justice Oyebisi Omoleye, unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by Olugbenga Edema of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Edema had sought to nullify Aiyedatiwa’s candidacy, alleging defects in the APC primary and calling for INEC to withdraw the nomination of both Aiyedatiwa and his running mate, Olayide Adelami.
The court ruled the appeal was devoid of merit and constituted an abuse of court process.
It further upheld the lower Federal High Court’s earlier dismissal of the suit and imposed a fine of ₦1 million each on the respondents.
Edema’s petition had hinged on alleged constitutional breaches relating to the candidate nomination process, including an invocation of Section 15, Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
The Appeal Court rejected these arguments, finding no credible evidence to support claims of non-compliance or fraud in the primary process.
The validation of Aiyedatiwa’s election consolidates his victory in the November 16, 2024 poll, where he secured 366,781 votes (72.06%), defeating PDP’s Agboola Ajayi, who garnered 117,845 votes (23.15%) among 17 candidates.
Earlier in June 2025, the Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Akure affirmed the same outcome.
The tribunal, chaired by Justice Benson Ogubu, dismissed petitions filed by the PDP, SDP, AA, and APM. Allegations of over-voting, accreditation irregularities, and submission of false documents were dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
The ruling was viewed as a judicial reaffirmation of Aiyedatiwa’s electoral victory across Ondo’s 18 local government areas.
