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BREAKING: Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Against Aiyedatiwa’s Candidacy

Published

1 month ago

Mar 11, 2025.

Supreme Court dismisses Agboola Ajayi’s appeal, citing lack of jurisdiction.
Court rules case was filed beyond the 14-day limit for election disputes.
Ajayi ordered to pay ₦2 million to each of the four respondent.

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed the appeal filed by Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the candidacy of Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that in a lead judgment delivered by Justice Lawal Garba, the apex court ruled that Ajayi’s appeal was filed out of time and that he lacked the legal standing to challenge the nomination, as he belonged to a different party.

The court further stated that the matter was an internal affair of the APC and beyond Ajayi’s jurisdiction to contest.

The Supreme Court affirmed that the case was statute-barred, aligning with the decisions of the lower courts.

The court noted that the cause of action arose on May 20, 2024, when the nomination forms were submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). However, Ajayi only filed his suit at the Federal High Court on June 7, 2024, exceeding the 14-day legal window for election-related disputes.

Consequently, the appeal was dismissed, and Ajayi was ordered to pay ₦2 million in costs to each of the four respondents.

Ajayi had sought to nullify the election of Deputy Governor, Olayide Adelami, citing discrepancies in his name change.

He argued that Adelami, who previously bore “Jackson” as his middle name in secondary school, later changed it to “Owolabi” without proper documentation. However, the Supreme Court ruled that a legally documented name change does not constitute electoral fraud or grounds for disqualification.

Ajayi initially filed the case at the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging Aiyedatiwa’s nomination on the grounds of his deputy’s alleged non-qualification.

Upon the defendants’ request, the case was transferred to the Akure Judicial Division. On December 2, 2024, Justice T.B. Adegoke of the Federal High Court dismissed the suit, citing the precedent in APC v. Obaseki.

The court ruled that since Ajayi’s allegations involved forgery, perjury, and impersonation, he should have commenced the case via a writ of summons instead of an originating summons.

Supreme Court Aiyedatiwa

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Ajayi took his case to the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, filing a notice of appeal on December 13, 2024. However, a panel of Justices Oyebisi Omoleye, Hadiza Shagari, and Fadawu Umaru unanimously upheld the lower court’s ruling, dismissing Ajayi’s appeal and imposing ₦500,000 in costs against him.

With this latest ruling, Governor Aiyedatiwa’s candidacy remains unchallenged, further solidifying his position as the duly elected leader of Ondo State.