Supreme Court Gives Verdict in APC vs PDP in Ondo Governorship Election Tussle

• The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeals of the opposition parties against the victory of the APC and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the November 2024 governorship election in Ondo
• Agboola Ajayi, the PDP candidate, had withdrawn his suit challenging the governor, leading to the Supreme Court’s decision
• The proceeding was attended by Governor Aiyedatiwa, who has now been congratulated by the APC national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda

The Supreme Court has affirmed the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the 2024 governorship election in Ondo state. This is because the apex court thrashed the appeals filed by three political parties contesting the victory of Aiyedatiwa.

Aiyedatiwa’s victory was challenged by his leading opposition, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who later withdrew his appeal against the APC and Aiyedatiwa’s victory at the Supreme Court. The two other parties are the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

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Aiyedatiwa attends Supreme Court hearing

According to a social media post by the Ondo State Governor, Governor Aiyedatiwa was present in person at the Supreme Court to witness the proceedings of the case and addressed journalists after the suit was dismissed as a result of the withdrawal of the complainants.

Following the ruling of the Supreme Court, the APC national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, paid a congratulatory visit to the governor at his official residence in Abuja on Wednesday, September 17, shortly after the judgment was delivered.

Also, the APC in the state has welcomed the ruling of the Supreme Court and called on opposition leaders, including Ajayi, to join hands with Aiyedatiwa’s government in moving the state forward.

Court of Appeal affirms Aiyedatiwa’s victory

The Court of Appeal in Akure on Thursday, July 31, affirmed the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. The court said that the appellants could not substantiate their allegations against the outcome of the election.

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The court noted that the petitioners failed to prove that there were over-voting and electoral flaws in various polling units, wards, and local government areas where the election took place.

Prof Olayemi Akinwunmi, the presiding officer in the November 19 Ondo governorship election, announced Aiyedatiwa as the winner of the 18 local governments in the state with a total of 366,781 votes. Coming close in the election is Agboola Ajayi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the poll, who came second with 117, 845 votes.

Akinwunmi announced the results at the collation centre in Akure, the state capital, on Sunday, November 17, and monitored them by Legit.ng. The Labour Party‘s Olorunfemi Festus candidate scored 1,162, while the Zenith Labour Party candidate, Abass Mimiko, garnered 2,692 votes.

See the statement of the Ondo government on the ruling:

Governor Aiyedatiwa suspends civil servants

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Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has suspended three officials over an alleged job scam in the recent Ondo state teachers’ recruitment exercise. The suspended government officials include two directors and a deputy director.

The findings revealed that the officials remain suspended, pending the outcome of the investigation. Governor Aiyedatiwa ordered a full-scale investigation into the alleged scam and set up a committee to further investigate the case.

Source: Legit.ng