The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last Ondo State governorship election, Agboola Ajayi, challenging the legitimacy of Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s candidacy.
A five-member panel, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, delivered a unanimous judgment on Tuesday, ruling that the appeal lacked merit. The court held that the appellants had no legal standing to challenge the nomination of Aiyedatiwa’s running mate, Olayide Adelami.
The Supreme Court further imposed a cost of N8 million against the PDP and Ajayi, awarding N2 million each to the four respondents: Adelami, Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ajayi and the PDP had alleged that Adelami presented a forged West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate to INEC and possessed multiple identities. They argued that this made him unqualified to contest the election and sought the court’s intervention to nullify the Aiyedatiwa-Adelami joint ticket under the APC.
