Tribunal fixes date for judgement in Ondo guber dispute

The Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has fixed June 4, 2025, as the date to deliver judgment on the petitions challenging the outcome of the November 16, 2024 governorship election.

The announcement was made on Saturday by the tribunal’s chairman, Justice Benson Ogbu, during a sitting in Akure. The decision to fix the date followed the formal adoption of final written addresses by the legal teams representing all parties involved.

The three-member panel also includes Justices Daurabu Sikkam and Imelda Etiape, who will jointly deliberate on the petitions before issuing the much-anticipated verdict.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the winner of the governorship election after he defeated his main rival, Agboola Ajayi of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 14 others governorship candidate.

Ajayi had challenged the outcome of the election before the Election Petition Tribunal panel led by Justice Ogbu.

Aside from the main opposition PDP, other political parties that filed petitions before the tribunal are the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

At the sitting on Saturday, the petitioners adopted their written addresses and asked the tribunal to set aside the election of November 16.

The PDP, through its counsel, Bankole Akomolafe, said the certificate of return given to Aiyedatiwa by INEC should be invalidated because of substantial non-compliance with the electoral act.

Lawyers to other opposition parties, including the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, also asked the tribunal to nullify the election results based on what they called massive irregularities during the polls.

However, the counsel for Aiyedatiwa, his Deputy, Olayide Adelami, INEC, and other respondents led by Wole Olanipekun, Tayo Oyetibo, and other lawyers asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition with substantial cost.

They said there was nothing substantial before the tribunal to show irregularities. Also, they said there were no witnesses to prove electoral malpractice during the governorship election.

The tribunal fixed June 4, 2025 for the final decision on the petitions filed by the opposition parties.