The Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure has dismissed all petitions challenging Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa's victory in the November 16, 2024 governorship election.

In a marathon judgment that lasted over eight hours on Wednesday evening, the three-member panel led by Justice Benson Ogubu declared petitions from five opposition parties as "worthless and baseless."

The parties whose petitions were dismissed include Action Alliance (AA), Allied People's Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Certificate Forgery Allegations Dismissed

A key contention in the case was PDP candidate Alfred Agboola Ajayi's challenge regarding the qualification of Aiyedatiwa's deputy. The petitioners alleged forgery of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificates submitted to INEC, pointing to inconsistencies with three different names appearing on documents.

However, the tribunal expunged these allegations from the petition, noting that the matter had already been decided at the Federal High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court levels. The tribunal emphasized that all parties are bound by previous court decisions on this issue.

"The allegations of non-qualification should be uprooted and distilled from the election petition since it was a pre-election matter," the tribunal stated.

Electoral Violations Claims Rejected

The PDP had also alleged widespread violations of Section 73(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, claiming that Form EC25B was not properly completed in 3,834 polling units, representing approximately 97 percent of the state's 3,933 units.

Addressing this claim, the tribunal clarified that Form EC25B does not require the entering of serial numbers as alleged by the petitioners, but rather the quantity of papers. The judgment noted that the court could not consider documents that were "not identified and demonstrated by the petitioner."

Claims of over-voting were similarly dismissed, with the tribunal ruling that the petitioners failed to provide necessary evidence such as BVAS machines or related data to substantiate their allegations.

The tribunal's decision represents a significant legal victory for Governor Aiyedatiwa and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, effectively validating the results of the November 2024 governorship election.