Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has expressed his appreciation to the judiciary following the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging his eligibility to contest in the recent governorship election.
The judgment was delivered on Monday by Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke of the Federal High Court, who dismissed the case filed by Mr. Agboola Ajayi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the election.
According to a statement signed by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, Justice Adegoke ruled that the plaintiff lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to challenge the qualifications of Aiyedatiwa and his running mate, Olayide Adelami, both of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court further held that the suit was statute-barred, having been filed outside the 14-day period stipulated by the Electoral Act. The judge also noted that the plaintiff improperly instituted the case through an originating summons instead of a Writ of Summons.
Ajayi’s case alleged discrepancies in the names of Adelami, the APC’s deputy governorship candidate, citing conflicting names on various academic documents. However, Adelami’s counsel, Dr. Remi Olatubora, SAN, clarified that the documents referred to the same individual, with differences arising only from the arrangement of the names.
Counsel for the second defendant, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, alongside representatives for the APC and INEC, supported this position, emphasizing the lack of substantive merit in the plaintiff’s claims.
Reacting to the verdict, Governor Aiyedatiwa lauded the court for what he described as a swift and just resolution, calling the lawsuit an unnecessary distraction from governance and the progress of the state.
