The Supreme Court has affirmed Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of Ondo State, dismissing an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Agboola Ajayi.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Garba Lawal on Tuesday, the apex court upheld the decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, both of which had earlier dismissed Ajayi’s case.
Ajayi had challenged Aiyedatiwa’s victory, citing discrepancies in the name change of his running mate, Olayide Adelami. He alleged that Adelami had changed his middle name from “Jackson” to “Owolabi” without proper documentation and argued this made him ineligible.
However, the Supreme Court ruled that the allegations lacked merit and did not amount to electoral fraud. It emphasized that properly documented name changes do not constitute valid grounds for disqualification.
The court also ruled that the case was filed outside the 14-day window required by law, making it statute-barred. It further noted that Ajayi lacked the legal standing to bring the case forward.
Describing the appeal as frivolous and without merit, the court dismissed it and ordered Ajayi to pay ₦2 million in costs to each of the four respondents: Aiyedatiwa, Adelami, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).