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- Agboola Ajayi, the PDP candidate and the major opposition figure in the poll, had withdrawn his suit challenging the governor, leading to the Supreme Court's decision
- Nentawe Yilwatda, the national chairman of the APC, paid a congratulatory visit to Governor Aiyedatiwa at the Ondo State House in Abuja after the Supreme Court judgment
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the All Progressives Congress (APC)'s success in the November 2024 governorship election has been reaffirmed at the Supreme Court.
This came after the apex court dismissed appeals filed by three political parties contesting Aiyedatiwa's victory.
Agboola Ajayi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and the leading opposition in the election, earlier challenged the governor's victory. He, however, later withdrew his appeal, which consequently informed the Supreme Court judgment.
Source: Twitter
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) also followed Ajayi's step in the suit.
Aiyedatiwa attends Supreme Court hearing
According to a social media post by the Ondo state government, 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, the state capital, had 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.
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.
Source: Twitter
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 was Agboola Ajayi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the poll, who had 117, 845 votes.
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
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Lucky Aiyedatiwa 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 showed 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.
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Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
