The election of Lucky Aiyedatiwa as governor of Ondo State has been validated by a Federal High Court in Akure, the state capital.
The All Progressives' Congress candidate was declared winner of the Novermber 16, 2024 governorship election in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after having a total of 366,781 votes at the polls.
In their judgement on Thursday, Justices Nimpar Yargata, K.I. Amadi, and I.M. Sani, unanimously dismissed the appeals, ruling that the claims of non-compliance with the Electoral Act were unsubstantiated.
The appellate court further ruled that the appellants' allegations against the election were unproven, as they failed to demonstrate how their claims impacted the outcome in specific polling units, wards, and local government areas.
Recall that the Peoples Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Action Alliance, the Allied Peoples’ Movement and the African Democratic Congress all filed petitions against Aiyedatiwa's win.
They contested the governor's victory at the Election Petition Tribunal, citing widespread irregularities and malpractices at various polling units that allegedly violated electoral laws. However, the tribunal dismissed their petitions, upholding the defendants' win.
Dissatisfied with the tribunal's verdict, the election petitioners appealed to the appellate court to challenge the decision.
