A court of appeal in Akure has affirmed the election of Lucky Aiyedatiwa as governor of Ondo State.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, a three-member panel of the
court struck out different appeals challenging Aiyedatiwa’s victory at the
November 16 poll.
On June 4, the Ondo governorship election tribunal dismissed
petitions submitted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Allied Peoples
Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Action Alliance (AA) against
Aiyedatiwa citing a lack of merit and insufficient evidence.
Delivering the lead judgment, Benson Ogubu, one of the
judges, said the allegations of academic certificate forgery, over-voting, and
non-compliance with the Electoral Act were not substantiated by the
petitioners.
Ogbudu said the tribunal found the evidence presented by the
APM and SDP to be of no probative value and was based on speculation rather
than concrete facts.
The tribunal also ruled that the AA lacked the locus standi
to challenge the election results, noting that the party did not field a
candidate and dismissed claims of corrupt practices and vote buying due to a
lack of credible evidence.
Dissatisfied, the parties went before the court of appeal.
However, upholding the tribunal’s verdict, the appellate
court struck out the appeals for not substantiating their claims of
non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The justices held that the appellants failed to prove their
allegations against the election as they did not show how their claims affected
the election in the various polling units, wards and local government areas
where the election took place.
The appellate court also ruled that the parties abandoned
their cases as there were no credible witnesses called at the tribunal to back
up their claims of widespread irregularities in the various polling units.
Consequently, the court affirmed Aiyedatiwa and Olayide Adelami as the elected governor and deputy governor of Ondo state.
A cost of N1.5 million was also awarded against the
appellants.
Reacting to the judgment, Aiyedatiwa said the appeal court
has reaffirmed the will of the people.
“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,” he said.
“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 back door, 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.”
Aiyedatiwa also appreciated his deputy, his team of lawyers,
as well as APC leaders and members for their support.
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