A Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, has dismissed an appeal filed by Olugbenga Edema, the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), challenging the candidacy of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr Olayide Adelami.
Mr Edema had sought to disqualify the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates from the 16 November 2024 governorship election, arguing that the nomination process violated constitutional provisions.
He had earlier approached the Federal High Court with a request to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove Governor Aiyedatiwa and his running mate from the list of eligible candidates. However, the court struck out the case for lacking merit.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Mr Edema appealed the decision.
On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal upheld the Federal High Court’s ruling, with Justice Oyebisi Omoleye delivering the lead judgment. The three-member panel unanimously dismissed the appeal, describing it as an abuse of court process and lacking in merit.
The court also ordered Mr Edema to pay ₦1 million each to the respondents as costs.
Reacting to the ruling, the Ondo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Kayode Ajulo SAN, welcomed the judgement, saying it reaffirmed the people’s choice.
“This is another clear affirmation of the mandate reposed in Governor Aiyedatiwa by the people,” he said. “The litigation must come to an end so we can focus on moving Ondo State forward.”
Governor Aiyedatiwa won the APC primary election by a significant margin and has since been preparing to contest the November poll.
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