The Supreme Court docket, on Tuesday, affirmed the candidacy of Governor Fortunate Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressive Congress (APC) because the Governor of Ondo State.
The apex court docket, dismissing the attraction filed by Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Get together (PDP) held that the appellant lacked the locus stand to pursue the matter.
The five-man panel of justices in a lead judgement delivered by Justice Lawal Garba dismissed Agboola Ajayi’s Attraction on the bottom that it was filed out of time and that he lacked the precise to file the lawsuit from one other occasion.
The apex court docket additional affirmed that the case was statute-barred, upholding the selections of the decrease courts.In its judgement the court docket emphasised that the reason for motion arose on Could 20, 2024, when the nomination varieties have been submitted to INEC, whereas the appellants filed their swimsuit on the Federal Excessive Court docket on June 7, 2024, nicely past the 14-day restrict prescribed by regulation.
Consequently, the apex court docket dismissed the attraction with an order that Agboola Ajayi to pay ₦2 million in prices to every of the 4 respondents.
Ajayi had sought to nullify the election of Deputy Governor Dr. Olayide Owolabi Adelami over allegations of discrepancies in his identify change, in addition to difficult the legitimacy of Governor Fortunate Orimisan Aiyedatiwa and the All Progressives Congress (APC) within the case.
Ajayi’s argument centered on the declare that Adelami, who beforehand had “Jackson” as his center identify whereas in secondary college, had modified it to “Owolabi” with out correct documentation.
Nonetheless, the Supreme Court docket discovered no authorized foundation to disqualify the deputy governor on these grounds, emphasizing that identify adjustments, when correctly documented, don’t represent electoral fraud or disqualification.
Agboola Ajayi filed the case on the Federal Excessive Court docket, Abuja on seventh June 2024, difficult the nomination of the Governor Aiyedatiwa on the technical floor 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 docket by the Chief Decide.
The Federal Excessive Court docket dismissed the case within the judgment delivered by Justice T.B. Adegoke on December 2, 2024. The trial Court docket relied on the case of APC v Obaseki to carry that because the plaintiff (Agboola) made felony allegations of forgery, perjury, and impersonation towards the Deputy Governor, he ought to have commenced the swimsuit by the use of writ of summons.
Being dissatisfied with the judgment of the Federal Excessive Court docket, Agboola Ajayi appealed towards it to the Court docket of Attraction, Akure Division, via a Discover of Attraction filed on December 13, 2024.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justices Oyebisi Omoleye, Hadiza Shagari, and Fadawu Umaru, the Court docket of Attraction dismissed the attraction and upheld the findings and choices of the Federal Excessive Court docket with an award of N500,000:00 prices towards the appellant.
Reacting to the judgment the Lawyer Basic and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, described the judgment as “a victory for democracy, the rule of regulation, and the great folks of Ondo State.”He emphasised that electoral disputes must be grounded in concrete proof relatively than technicalities that don’t have an effect on the credibility of an election.
Ajulo likened Governor Aiyedatiwa’s triumph to a testomony of perseverance and divine vindication, stating that “simply as reality all the time prevails over falsehood, justice has now been served.”
He recommended the Governor for his unwavering concentrate on governance regardless of distractions and reaffirmed the administration’s dedication to the continued growth of Ondo State.
