Court Stops Top Southern Governor From Seeking Re-Election, Gives Reason
- Ondo governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has been stopped from contesting the 2028 governorship election in the state
- The Federal High Court in Akure, the state capital, gave the ruling on Thursday, March 12, citing a previous Supreme Court judgment
- The court held that the governor, who has been sworn in twice, would be spending more than eight years should he win the 2028 governorship election
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The Federal High Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital, has ruled that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa does not have the legal right to contest the 2028 governorship election in the state.
In its verdict delivered by Justice Adegoke on Thursday, March 12, 2026, the court held that a re-election for the governor in 2028 would be a violation of the constitutional limit of eight years in office.
Source: Twitter
Why Aiyedatiwa was sworn in twice
Recall that Aiyedatiwa first assumed office on December 27, 2023, after the death of former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. He was again sworn in on February 24, 2025, after he was declared the winner of the November 16, 2024, governorship election in the state.
According to The Tribune, the court held that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) does not allow a president or governor to stay in office for over eight years, citing the decision of the Supreme Court in Marwa v. Nyako to support its claim.
A member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Akin Egbuwalo, through his lawyer, Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), sought the interpretation of Section 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as it relates to the tenure of the governor.
Ondo governor Aiyedatiwa reacts to court judgment
Reacting to the court ruling in an interview on Channels TV, the governor explained that he did not see it coming, citing that he was only in office to govern and was not even thinking of re-election for now. He added that he will only contest if the people want him to continue and the constitution permits it.
His comment has started generating reactions from Nigerians. Below are some of their comments:
Safety Cabal
"The Governor is more interested in future opportunities to contest; he has not justified the essence of his being elected. I pity the people of Ondo State."
Source: Twitter
Okilori criticised the governor:
"Ondo state is so unfortunate to have this man as Governor. Despite all support masses gave him during Aketi situation and sickness."
Taiwo alleged that the governor did not have any capital project to point to:
"Baba won do another term by fire by force, the man no get anything to offer the state, no better capital project , 3 more years to go."
Onyeka Clinton urged the media house to fix the transmission problem:
"Does this station know that its clips blink? Please, they should work on it so that it will be easy for us to watch online post. Sometimes I wonder if they don’t notice it."
You can see the video of the governor's reaction on X here:
Terrorists raid Ondo celestial church
Legit.ng earlier reported that Ondo state came under terrorist attack as the gunmen reportedly raided a branch of the Celestial Church of Christ.
The church, located in Uso, in the Owo LGA of the state, was raided at about 1 am on Wednesday, February 25, during service.
According to the police, no fewer than six persons were kidnapped by the assailant, but a rescue operation was launched immediately.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
