Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa has expressed gratitude to the judiciary and the people of Ondo State following the Court of Appeal’s verdict affirming his election and that of his deputy, Dr. Olayide Adelami.
The appellate court, sitting in Akure, on Thursday, July 31, 2025, upheld the earlier decision of the Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which had on June 4 validated the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 16, 2024, gubernatorial poll.
The appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied People’s Movement (APM), and Social Democratic Party (SDP) were unanimously dismissed by the panel of Justices — Justice Nimpar Yargata, Justice K.I. Amadi, and Justice I.M. Sani — for lacking merit.
In their separate rulings, the justices held that the appellants failed to substantiate claims of non-compliance with the Electoral Act. The court noted that no credible witnesses were presented during the tribunal proceedings and that the alleged irregularities were not proven to have affected the outcome of the election across polling units, wards, or local government areas.
The court further ruled that the appellants effectively abandoned their petitions and consequently affirmed the tribunal's judgment, imposing a cost of N1.5 million on each of the losing parties.
In his reaction, Governor Aiyedatiwa described the ruling as a welcome development and commended the Appeal Court panel for what he called a thorough and well-delivered judgment.
He said: “I give glory to Almighty God who orchestrated this journey from the beginning and used the good people of Ondo State. Over 366,000 residents gave us their mandate on November 16 last year to continue governing this state as the seventh democratically elected governor.
“That mandate was validated by the tribunal and has now been reaffirmed by the Appeal Court. While some political parties tried to overturn the people’s decision through the backdoor, the judiciary has fulfilled its role by upholding the choice made by the majority of voters across the 18 local government areas of the state,” he said.
Governor Aiyedatiwa also expressed appreciation to his deputy, legal team, and the APC leadership and members for their unwavering support throughout the legal process.
