The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal filed by Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, challenging a ruling of the Federal High Court in Akure in a suit questioning his eligibility to contest the next governorship election in the state.

In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel yesterday, the appellate court held that the trial court properly exercised its discretion when it granted an application by the plaintiff, Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, to amend his originating summons in the case.

Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, ruled that Aiyedatiwa failed to show that the Federal High Court’s decision to allow the amendment occasioned any miscarriage of justice or denied him the right to a fair hearing.

The appellate court, therefore, dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and awarded N2 million in costs against the governor.

The ruling affirmed the November 24, 2025, decision of the Federal High Court in Akure, which granted Egbuwalo leave to amend the originating summons in his suit challenging Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility for re-election.

MEANWHILE, Aiyedatiwa has said that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, is not explicit on tenure elongation through succession, saying that the section of the Constitution will be interpreted by the Supreme Court.

Aiyedatiwa, who expressed dismay that he was joined in a suit over a constitutional matter, insisted that he is protected by immunity, which shields him from what he described as ‘court issues’ except in electoral matters.

The governor spoke during a media chat held in Akure, the state capital, where he addressed a range of issues, including his purported ambition to seek re-election, his relationship with the Minister of Interior, security challenges, and the state of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

According to Aiyedatiwa, questions surrounding tenure elongation remain legally ambiguous and require judicial interpretation, stressing that he has not declared any intention to run in 2028, adding that speculation about his political ambition is premature.

The governor, who spoke on the state of the ruling party in the state amid the violent attacks and killings that rocked the stakeholders’ meeting of the party, as well as the ward congresses, dismissed claims of division within the APC, describing the party as united.

He maintained that the results of the congresses, held through consensus in the state despite the ex parte order of the court, would soon be announced by the party leadership.

Aiyedatiwa, who denied any friction with the Minister of Interior, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, acknowledged that political ambitions exist at different levels and described himself as a father figure to all political actors in the state.

He, however, stated that bandits and terrorists have not operated anywhere in the state since the Owo massacre a few years ago.