Politics
PDP’s Agboola withdraws Ondo governorship appeal at supreme court
The candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2024 Ondo State governorship race, Chief Ajayi Alfred Agboola, has officially withdrawn his appeal at the Supreme Court.
In a letter sent to the Chief Registrar of Nigeria’s Supreme Court, Agboola acknowledged his awareness of the appeal lodged on his behalf concerning the election results.
He explained that following thorough discussions with his family, party officials, associates, and legal counsel, a collective decision was made to retract the appeal.
READ ALSO: I’ll remain loyal to Aiyedatiwa and the people – new Ondo Deputy Gov
“As the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, I have engaged in thoughtful discussions with my family, party members, associates, and legal advisors. After careful deliberation, we have reached a consensus that the appeal should be withdraw and I’m by this letter so do,” Agboola stated in the letter.
Ajayi, who previously served as deputy governor of Ondo State, congratulated Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa and committed to supporting the state’s leadership, emphasizing his resolve to contribute constructively to the progress of Ondo State and Nigeria as a whole.
This withdrawal marks the end of the legal dispute over the governorship election, paving the way for political harmony and stability within the state.
“Having served as the former Deputy Governor and as a representative of my constituents at the national level, my foremost commitment is to the principles of good governance and the promotion of peaceful coexistence in Ondo State and across Nigeria,” he remarked.
“In this spirit, I extend my heartfelt wishes to His Excellency Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa as he leads our state, and I remain dedicated to contributing positively to the State and National development.”
Earlier in March, the Supreme Court dismissed Ajayi’s legal challenge.
Ajayi had attempted to annul the election of Deputy Governor Dr. Olayide Owolabi Adelami, citing alleged irregularities related to a name change, and also questioned the legitimacy of Governor Aiyedatiwa and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court ruled that the appellants lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to bring the case forward, rendering the appeal untenable. It also found the suit to be statute-barred, upholding the decisions of the lower courts.
The court observed that the cause of action arose on May 20, 2024, when nomination forms were submitted to INEC, but the suit was filed on June 7, 2024, beyond the 14-day statutory limit.
Consequently, the court dismissed the case and ordered Ajayi to pay N2 million in costs to each of the four respondents.
Ajayi had alleged that Adelami, who used the middle name “Jackson” during secondary school, changed it to “Owolabi” without proper documentation.
However, the Supreme Court held that a properly documented name change does not amount to electoral fraud or a valid reason for disqualification, thereby dismissing Ajayi’s claim.
A conciliatory Atiku Abubakar, in magnanimity with victory, extended the olive branch to Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, the pair he defeated on Wednesday night to clinch the ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for next year’s presidential election.
He appealed to both men never to abandon the party ahead of the election, scheduled for January 2027, but to close ranks to ensure victory for both party, Nigeria as a country and the people currently under the bondage of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Extending the olive branch shortly after being handed the party flag, officially declaring him as the candidate, he said: “I therefore appeal to all those who feel aggrieved to come back to our party and close ranks with the rest of us. In particular, I invite Chief Rotimi Anechi and Alhaji Muhammad Hayatu-Deen to join me in this fight to save our democracy and our country.
“As I said previously, there are no winners and no losers. Our people look up to us for leadership and I am ready to lead,” he said.
He added that he would work with other aspirants and stakeholders to build the party ahead of the general election.
“I shall work with you all to continue to build our party. I will campaign with you and if Nigeria’s leaders demand it, govern with you to build a country that works for all of us.”
The appeal is coming hours after both Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation and Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), rejected the result, even before it was announced, citing what they described as manipulation of the voting process, with Hayatu-Deen saying he would not attend the announcement of the result.
Regardless, Atiku, Nigeria’s former Vice President between 1999 and 2007, said he truly humbled and excited to lead the party into the next elections, adding that he was particularly excited by the party’s demonstration of internal democracy despite the position of naysayers.
Hear him: “I must state at this juncture that this is not the time to celebrate. No one was defeated because we are one party and we all need to recognise the fierce urgency of the moment.
“Therefore, we have to unite, as we pledged before this process, to work to pull our country and our people out of the destructive grip of a corrupt, incompetent and polarising APC government.
“I thank the primary elections Committee for organising peaceful, free, fair and transparent primaries. I thank the various leadership organs of our party, the various stakeholders, and volunteers for their hard work and dedication and all our party members and supporters for their efforts, patience and conduct during the process.
“With the primaries behind us, the real hard work is about to begin. We have to prepare to campaign hard to win the next general elections in order to begin the difficult process of rescuing our country and its long-suffering people from this government.”
“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today. I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”
These were the exact words of Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, one of the presidential aspirants of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with which he cast a slur on the ongoing presidential primaries of the party, hinging his position on reports of fraud trailing the exercise.
Hayatu-Deen, a second timer in the search for the nation’s number one job, ran against Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former Vice President and Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation.
In a statement on his assessment of the exercise which began on Monday, the renowned economist Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), used his X platform to convey his dissatisfaction with the process.
The ADC which said the collation for the exercise would take place in Abuja had urged aspirants, party leaders, delegates, and members to conduct themselves peacefully and uphold party unity.
Bolaji Abdullahi, its spokesman, who described the exercise as a defining moment for both the ADC and Nigerians seeking a credible political alternative, maintained that it remained committed to internal democracy and a transparent leadership selection process.
“The ADC remains proud to stand today as the only truly democratic party in Nigeria because it is the only political party whose choice of presidential candidate is determined through open primaries,” he said adding that the conduct of aspirants and party members during the exercise would reflect the leadership culture the ADC seeks to promote.
For Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s 14th leader, and the third President since 1999, the road is now clear, should he be interested to make a comeback to reclaim the office he lost to the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
This is on the strength of a decision by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, which hours ago, threw out a suit challenging the eligibility of the former President to make a go at the nation’s number one job, including that of 2027.
Peter Lifu, on Tuesday, held that JohnMary Jideobi, the plaintiff, who pursued the case of stopping the ex-President, lacked the legal right to have instituted the suit, having not suffered any loss from Jonathan’s perceived intention to vie in next year’s poll.
(AGF).
Lifu not only dismissed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, where Jideobi had prayed the court for an order restraining Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election, but slammed him with a N20 million fine to be paid in favour of the ex-president, and N1million fine against in favour of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
Against the backdrop of Jideobi’s argument was that Jonathan, having completed the tenure of the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and later served a full term after the 2011 elections, he had exhausted the constitutional limit of two terms in office, Lifu described it as a waste of time.
He also dismissed the plea that the court should restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or publishing Jonathan’s name as a candidate in the 2027 elections or any future presidential poll, insisting that the matter had earlier been litigated upon with a judicial pronouncement made on it.
Referring to the decision of a Federal High Court, Yenagoa which had previously dealt with a similar matter and the concurrence of the Court of Appeal, affirming Jonathan’s eligibility, Lifu, who earlier refused to recuse himself from the matter, said he was bound by both, dismissed the latest attempt as “an abuse of court process.”
Akpabio: This isn’t time to probe military *I didn’t promise ticket for failed senators
Our primaries were flawless – NDC *Denies imposition of candidates
Hidden syndicate behind oil theft – Navy *Wants special court to try offenders
BREAKING: Terrorists strike Ibadan again! Abduct ex-Minister’s sister, twin children
My loyalty to Obi unquestionable – Omo-Agege *Oborevwori knows I’m in charge in Delta
Darkness fears light! Chimamanda reacts, as court defers coroner’s inquest into son’s death
-
News3 weeks agoTinubu to African leaders: Copy Nigeria, produce your way out of poverty
-
News2 weeks agoBREAKING: US-Nigeria troops slaughter 175 ISWAP fighters
-
Columns2 weeks agoDear General Gowon: That apology you’re running from is your nemesis
-
News3 weeks agoWhy we pegged presidential ticket forms at N60million – NDC
-
News3 days agoBREAKING: Terrorists strike Ibadan again! Abduct ex-Minister’s sister, twin children
-
News4 weeks agoBREAKING! Coast brightens for Obi, as NDC zones presidency to South
-
News3 weeks agoGowon on civil war: My book is to put records straight, remove falsehood
-
News2 weeks agoBREAKING: Wait over! Arsenal are CHAMPIONS! Win EPL after 22 years hiatus