Supreme Court Dismisses Agboola Ajayi’s Case Against Governor Aiyedatiwa
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the election of Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Governor of Ondo State. The apex court dismissed an appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Agboola Ajayi, who sought to nullify Aiyedatiwa’s victory.
The appeal challenged Aiyedatiwa’s election, focusing on allegations of discrepancies in the name change of his running mate, Olayide Adelami. The appellants argued that Adelami had changed his middle name from “Jackson” to “Owolabi” without the proper documentation, calling into question Aiyedatiwa’s legitimacy and the APC’s qualification.
However, the Supreme Court upheld the concurrent rulings of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, both of which dismissed the case on procedural grounds and affirmed Aiyedatiwa’s victory. The lower courts had found no substantial evidence to support the claims of document forgery or electoral fraud.
Ajayi’s legal challenge, filed on June 7, 2024, was dismissed by the Federal High Court on December 2, 2024, which ruled that the accusations lacked the necessary proof and could not be established via an originating summons. The Court of Appeal also agreed with this ruling, dismissing Ajayi’s claims.
In its final ruling, the Supreme Court emphasized that the appellants had no legal standing to pursue the case and that the challenge was statute-barred, as it was filed beyond the 14-day period required by law. The court declared that name changes, when properly documented, do not constitute electoral fraud or grounds for disqualification.
The Supreme Court further noted that the appellants had missed the constitutional deadline, with the cause of action arising on May 20, 2024, but the suit filed on June 7, 2024, being too late. It described the petition as “baseless, frivolous, and lacking in merit.”
As a result, the appeal was dismissed, and Ajayi was ordered to pay ₦2 million in costs to each of the four respondents involved in the case.
