The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Ondo State governorship candidate, Agboola Ajayi, challenging the legitimacy of the joint ticket of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his running mate, Olayide Adelami.
A five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba delivered the ruling on Tuesday, stating that the appeal lacked merit and that the appellants had no legal standing (locus standi) to question Adelami’s nomination.
The court awarded a cost of N8million against the PDP and Ajayi, at N2m each for the four respondents – Adelami, Aitedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The PDP and Ajayi had claimed that Adelami presented forged West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate to INEC and that he equally possessed multiple identities.
They had prayed the court hold that Adelami was not qualified to contest the election by virtue of the alleged forged certificate and proceed to void the joint ticket on which Aitedatiwa and Adelami contested the election on the platform of the APC.