Appeal court affirms Aiyedatiwa’s election as Ondo governor

A court of appeal in Akure has affirmed the election of Lucky Aiyedatiwa as governor of Ondo state.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, a three-member panel of the court struck out different appeals challenging Aiyedatiwa’s victory at the November 16 poll.

On June 4, the Ondo governorship election tribunal dismissed petitions submitted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Action Alliance (AA) against Aiyedatiwa citing a lack of merit and insufficient evidence.

Delivering the lead judgment, Benson Ogubu, one of the judges, said the allegations of academic certificate forgery, over-voting, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act were not substantiated by the petitioners.

Ogbudu said the tribunal found the evidence presented by the APM and SDP to be of no probative value and was based on speculation rather than concrete facts.

The tribunal also ruled that the AA lacked the locus standi to challenge the election results, noting that the party did not field a candidate and dismissed claims of corrupt practices and vote buying due to a lack of credible evidence.

Dissatisfied, the parties went before the court of appeal.

However, upholding the tribunal’s verdict, the appellate court struck out the appeals for not substantiating their claims of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

The justices held that the appellants failed to prove their allegations against the election as they did not show how their claims affected the election in the various polling units, wards and local government areas where the election took place.

The appellate court also ruled that the parties abandoned their cases as there were no credible witnesses called at the tribunal to back up their claims of widespread irregularities in the various polling units.

Consequently, the court affirmed Aiyedatiwa and Olayide Adelami as the elected governor and deputy governor of Ondo state.

A cost of N1.5 million was also awarded against the appellants.

Reacting to the judgment, Aiyedatiwa said the appeal court has reaffirmed the will of the people.

“I give glory to almighty God who orchestrated this journey from the beginning and used the good people of Ondo State. Over 366,000 residents gave us their mandate on November 16 last year to continue governing this state as the seventh democratically elected governor,” he said.

“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 back door, the judiciary has fulfilled its role by upholding the choice made by the majority of voters across the 18 local government areas of the state.”

Aiyedatiwa also appreciated his deputy, his team of lawyers, as well as APC leaders and members for their support.