The Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure has upheld the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing all petitions filed by five opposition parties challenging his victory in the November 16, 2024, governorship election.
In a judgment that lasted over eight hours on Wednesday evening, the three-member panel, led by Justice Benson Ogubu, ruled that all the petitions lacked merit and were therefore dismissed.
The petitioners—Action Alliance (AA), Allied People’s Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—had sought to nullify the governor’s election, but the tribunal described their claims as “worthless and baseless.”
The PDP candidate, Alfred Agboola Ajayi, had alleged that Governor Aiyedatiwa’s running mate submitted a forged WAEC certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing inconsistencies in the names on the document. The PDP further claimed that this issue invalidated the joint ticket and, by extension, the governor’s victory.
However, the tribunal ruled that the forgery allegation was a pre-election matter that had already been resolved by the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. It held that the issue could not be re-litigated and ordered the claim expunged from the petition.
On the claim of electoral irregularities, the PDP also cited a failure to properly complete Form EC25B in 3,834 polling units, amounting to 97% of the state’s 3,933 polling units. The tribunal, however, ruled that the form did not require the inclusion of serial numbers and emphasized that the petitioners failed to prove how this affected the outcome of the election.
Similarly, allegations of over-voting were thrown out due to lack of evidence. The tribunal noted that no witness tendered BVAS machines or relevant data to substantiate the claims.
In its final ruling, the tribunal reaffirmed Aiyedatiwa’s election and maintained that the petitions lacked the necessary legal weight to challenge the mandate granted by the electorate.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, who ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), now moves forward with a legal seal on his administration’s legitimacy.
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