Ondo election: Appeal court dismisses petition against Akeredolu’s victory

The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, challenging the victory of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in last year’s governorship election in the state.

A five-member panel of the appellate court lead by Justice Theresa Ngolika Orji-Abadua in a three hours judgment delivered via zoom struck out the PDP candidate’s petition for lack of merit.

The court upheld the judgment of the state election petitions tribunal which had earlier validated Akeredolu’s victory in the election.

The PDP candidate’s lead counsel, Oyeachi Ikpeazu, (SAN) had told the court that the APC candidate’s nomination by his party was unconstitutional.

In her ruling, Justice Orji-Abadua submitted that Jegede’s appeal was partly allowed and partly dismissed.

She said the appeal lacks merit “though some of the grounds were meritorious.”

The court said the petitioners’ decision to join the APC National Caretaker Committee chairman, Mai Mala Buni, in the suit was fatal to their case.