Court Gives Fresh Ruling on Ondo Gubernatorial Election

The Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, has upheld the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Olayide Adelami, dismissing an appeal that challenged the legitimacy of the APC primary that produced them as candidates.

This latest judgment follows earlier rulings by the Appeal Court in January and the Supreme Court in March, both of which dismissed a similar suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate. Those rulings confirmed Aiyedatiwa as the duly elected Governor of Ondo State.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Oyebisi Omoleye said the appeal by Olugbenga Edema, candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), lacked merit and affirmed the earlier decision of the Federal High Court.

The case began when Edema approached the Federal High Court, arguing that the APC primaries violated constitutional guidelines. He asked the court, through his lawyer Mr. Abayomi Ojo, to interpret Section 15 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the nominations of Aiyedatiwa and Adelami.

However, Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke of the Federal High Court ruled that the suit had become invalid after the NNPP pulled out of the case, leaving Edema without legal standing.

Edema later appealed the ruling, but the appellate court sided with the respondents — INEC, APC, Aiyedatiwa, and Adelami — who argued that the case had no legal basis and was a waste of the court’s time.

The court agreed and dismissed the appeal, ordering Edema to pay ₦1 million each to all four respondents.