The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday, July 31, 2025, upheld the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr. Olayide Adelami, reaffirming their victory in the November 16, 2024, gubernatorial election.
In a unanimous judgment, the three-member panel led by Justice Nimpar Yargata, alongside Justices K.I. Amadi and I.M. Sani, dismissed all appeals challenging the earlier ruling of the state Election Petition Tribunal, which had validated Aiyedatiwa’s election.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, who contested under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had been declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), securing 366,781 votes to defeat candidates from other political parties.
Dissatisfied with the result, candidates from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Action Alliance (AA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and African Democratic Congress (ADC) filed separate petitions alleging electoral malpractices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act in several polling units.
The tribunal, however, had earlier dismissed all the petitions, stating they lacked merit—a decision that led the aggrieved parties to seek redress at the appellate court.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Yargata noted that the appellants failed to provide convincing evidence to support their claims of electoral irregularities and did not demonstrate how the alleged infractions substantially affected the outcome of the election.
“The appellants could not establish their allegations with credible evidence,” the court ruled. “No substantial proof was provided to show that the conduct of the election violated provisions of the Electoral Act or impacted the declared results in a significant way.”
Justice Sani added, “Beyond allegations, the petitioners did not present credible witnesses or documents to back their claims at the tribunal. The appeal, therefore, lacks substance and is hereby dismissed.”
Consequently, the Court of Appeal affirmed the earlier verdict of the tribunal and declared that Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Dr. Olayide Adelami remain the duly elected Governor and Deputy Governor of Ondo State. The court also awarded a cost of N1.5 million in favour of the respondents against the appellants.
Reacting to the judgment, a member of the APC legal team described the ruling as “a victory for democracy and the people of Ondo State.”
“The court has once again demonstrated that justice can be delivered without fear or favour,” he said.
Representatives of the opposition parties, however, expressed disappointment, with one PDP member saying, “We respect the decision of the court but remain convinced that the will of the people was subverted during the election. We’ll consult with our legal team on the next line of action.”
