Tribunal upholds Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s victory in Ondo Governorship Election

The Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Akure, has affirmed the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing several petitions challenging his victory in the November 16, 2024, governorship polls.

In a judgment that lasted over eight hours on Wednesday, the three-member tribunal, led by Justice Benson Ogubu, struck out the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Agboola Ajayi. The PDP had alleged widespread irregularities during the election and sought the cancellation of the results.

Similar petitions brought before the tribunal by other political parties, including the Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), and African Alliance (AA), were also dismissed for lacking merit.

Governor Aiyedatiwa, who contested under the All Progressives Congress (APC), had earlier been declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after securing victory in all 18 local government areas of the state. He polled a total of 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rivals, including Agboola Ajayi of the PDP.

With the tribunal’s decision, Governor Aiyedatiwa’s election has been officially upheld, putting an end to legal disputes surrounding the 2024 Ondo governorship election.