Two gubernatorial candidates in Ondo State have taken legal action challenging the election of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, filing separate petitions that contest the validity of the November 16 election results.
Olugbenga Edema, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) governorship candidate, has initiated a lawsuit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), challenging the nomination and subsequent election of Governor Aiyedatiwa.
Edema’s legal challenge centers on allegations that INEC failed to properly handle the APC primary elections, which he claims did not meet legal requirements.
“If you could remove the name of NRM on the grounds that it did not conduct a valid primary, what did INEC do when it came to the case of the APC, when it wrote in its report that APC did not conduct a valid primary in a minimum of 147 wards out of the 203 wards in the state?” Edema argued in his petition.
The candidate specifically pointed to an INEC report suggesting that elections did not hold in most wards during the April 20 primaries, effectively rendering the party’s candidate selection process invalid. Edema contends that INEC should have disqualified Aiyedatiwa from the ballot based on these irregularities.
Simultaneously, Agboola Ajayi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, has filed a separate petition at the Ondo State Election Petition Tribunal. Ajayi received 117,845 votes compared to Aiyedatiwa’s 366,781 votes in the initial election results.
“The sadness and disappointment witnessed after the election reflect their discontent with the outcome, which, we believe, was a miscarriage of democracy orchestrated by the Independent National Electoral Commission,” Ajayi stated.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has responded to these legal challenges, defending the election’s integrity. Steve Otaloro, the party’s Publicity Director, emphasized,
“APC stands firmly behind the results declared by INEC. We believe that the tribunal’s verdict will uphold the integrity of the election and reinforce the democratic principles that our party advocates.”
The hearing for Edema’s suit is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11, marking a critical moment in the ongoing legal battle over the Ondo State gubernatorial election.
