Abuja, Nigeria – The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Agboola Ajayi, challenging the legitimacy of the joint ticket of Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his running mate, Olayide Adelami.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, ruled unanimously that the appeal lacked merit and that the appellants had no locus standi (legal standing) to challenge Adelami’s nomination. The justices emphasized that issues concerning the nomination of a party’s candidate are strictly internal affairs of that party and cannot be contested by opposition parties.
As part of the ruling, the court awarded a total cost of N8 million against the PDP and Ajayi, ordering them to pay N2 million each to the four respondents—Adelami, Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The decision solidifies Aiyedatiwa’s legitimacy as the APC’s candidate in the Ondo governorship election and deals a significant blow to the PDP’s legal efforts to contest the ticket. The ruling is also expected to set a legal precedent on the limitations of opposition parties in questioning the nomination process of rival candidates.
With this judgment, legal analysts suggest that the Supreme Court has reaffirmed the principle that political parties must resolve their candidate selection disputes internally, without interference from external entities.
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