Ondo election: Tribunal receives five petitions against Aiyedatiwa’s victory

The Ondo State 2024 Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has received five petitions challenging the declaration of Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa of All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the Nov. 16 election.

INEC had, on Nov. 17, declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election, having polled a total of 366,781 to defeat his closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 117,846 votes.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that APC and its candidate won in all the 18 local government areas of the state.

Other respondents in the petitions are: APC, Aiyedatiwa and his running mate, Mr Olayide Adelami

NAN reports that the five petitions challenging Aiyedatiwa’s victory were filed by Action Alliance and its candidate, Mr Abdullahi Olowokere, as well as Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate, Chief Bamidele Akingboye.

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Others are: PDP and its candidate, Mr Agboola Ajayi, a former deputy governor of the state; Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and its candidate, Kolawole Ogunfeyimi, and African Democratic Congress (ADC) and its candidate, Mr Adeyemi Nejo.

The petitioners are all seeking that the election held by INEC in the state on Nov. 16 should be declared invalid on grounds of non-compliance with the provisions of Electoral Act.

Secretary of the tribunal, Mrs Nancy Zakayo, told NAN in an interview on Thursday that the petitions were filed on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8.

Zakayo said that the provisions of the Electoral Act required that the petitions are served on the respondents, who after receipt of it, are to file their defence within the time frame provided.

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She said that in line with the provisions of the act, hearing of the petitions would not commence earlier than late January when parties must have exchanged all their processes.