The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure has upheld the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the duly elected Governor of Ondo State, reaffirming his victory in the November 16, 2024 gubernatorial election.
Aiyedatiwa, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after polling 366,781 votes and securing victory across all 18 local government areas of the state. His closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), trailed behind.
The appellate court’s verdict follows a series of earlier legal wins for Aiyedatiwa.
On June 4, 2025, the Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal dismissed multiple petitions challenging the legitimacy of the election, including one filed by Ajayi alleging widespread irregularities.
The tribunal, led by Justice Benson Ogubu, also struck out similar challenges from candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), and African Alliance (AA) — all affirming Aiyedatiwa’s electoral mandate.
In a related development, the Supreme Court had earlier, on March 11, 2025, dismissed a separate appeal brought by Ajayi challenging Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility. The apex court ruled that the case was filed out of time and that Ajayi, not being a member of the APC, lacked the legal standing to question the party’s internal nomination processes.
With this judgment, the appellate court has effectively sealed the legal challenges against Governor Aiyedatiwa’s election, confirming his position as the legitimate Governor of Ondo State.
