7 hours Ago By Guardian Nigeria
Attorney-General, Reps member hail gov’s victory at apex court The Supreme Court, yesterday, affirmed the candidacy of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Governor of Ondo State. The apex court, while dismissing the appeal filed by Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), held that the appellant lacked the locus standi to pursue the matter. The five-man panel of Justices, in a lead judgment delivered by Justice Lawal Garba, dismissed Agboola Ajayi’s appeal on the ground that it was filed out of time and that he lacked the right to file the lawsuit from another party.
The apex court further affirmed that the case was statute-barred, upholding the decisions of the lower courts. In the judgment, the court emphasised that the cause of action arose on May 20, 2024, when the nomination forms were submitted to INEC, while the appellants filed their suit at the Federal High Court on June 7, 2024, well beyond the 14-day limit prescribed by law. Consequently, the apex court dismissed the appeal with an order that Agboola Ajayi should pay N2 million in costs to each of the four respondents.
Reacting to the judgment, the Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Olukayode Ajulo (SAN), described the judgment as “a victory for democracy, the rule of law, and the good people of Ondo State.” He emphasised that electoral disputes should be grounded in concrete evidence rather than technicalities that do not affect the credibility of an election. Ajulo likened Aiyedatiwa’s triumph to a testament of perseverance and divine vindication, stating that “just as truth always prevails over falsehood, justice has now been served.
” He commended the governor for his unwavering focus on governance despite distractions and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to the continued development of Ondo State. Also, a House of Representatives member representing Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency, Donald Ojogo, has hailed the judgment, describing the verdict as a victory for not only democracy but the people of the state. Ojogo, while describing the apex court verdict as an affirmation of the mandate freely given to the governor by the people of the state, said that the development would in no small measure pave the way for continued progress and development in the state.
He urged the people of the state to support the governor to enable the government to concentrate on developmental issues. It would be recalled that Ajayi had sought to nullify the election of the Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Owolabi Adelami, over allegations of discrepancies in his name-change, as well as challenging the legitimacy of Governor Lucky OrimisanAiyedatiwa and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the case. His argument centred on the claim that Adelami, who previously had “Jackson” as his middle name while in secondary school, had changed it to “Owolabi” without proper documentation.
However, the Supreme Court found no legal basis to disqualify the deputy governor on these grounds, emphasising that name changes, when properly documented, do not constitute electoral fraud or disqualification. Ajayi filed the case at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on June 7, 2024, challenging the nomination of the Aiyedatiwa on the technical ground of alleged non-qualification of his deputy. Upon the petition of the defendants, the case was transferred to the Akure Judicial Division of the court by the Chief Judge.
The Federal High Court dismissed the case in the judgment delivered by Justice T.B. Adegoke on December 2, 2024.
The trial court relied on the case of APC v Obaseki to hold that since the plaintiff (Agboola) made criminal allegations of forgery, perjury and impersonation against the deputy governor, he should have commenced the suit by way of writ of summons. But being dissatisfied with the judgment of the Federal High Court, Agboola Ajayi appealed against it at the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, through a notice of appeal filed on December 13, 2024. In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justices OyebisiOmoleye, Hadiza Shagari and Fadawu Umaru, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and upheld the findings and decisions of the Federal High Court with an award of N500,000:00 costs against the appellant.
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