Agboola Ajayi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the November 16 Ondo State gubernatorial election, has taken legal action to contest the victory of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Mr. Ajayi on Monday confirmed that his legal team had filed a petition in the Ondo State Election Petitions Tribunal seeking to overturn the election results.
The announcement came 24 days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Ayedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner with 366,781 votes. His closest rival Ajay received 117,845 votes.
Speaking at the PDP secretariat in Akure, the state capital, Ajayi declined to disclose the specific basis for the petition, but expressed dissatisfaction with the electoral process.
He described the result as a “miscarriage and murder of democracy” and criticized INEC for failing to maintain a fair electoral process.
He said: “First and foremost, we thank Almighty God for the peaceful conduct of the elections in Ondo State. After careful analysis, we would like to thank the people of Ondo State for trusting us and showing maturity during the election despite provocations. We have come to express this.
“We want to address certain misconceptions and claims made against voters. There have been accusations that our people sold their votes or had their votes compromised. The will of the people is not for sale. Let us be clear: The sadness and disappointment witnessed after the election reflects the public’s dissatisfaction with what we believe to be a democratic misrepresentation orchestrated by the Independent National Electoral Commission. .
“Despite our earlier warnings and even legal action to ensure neutrality within INEC, unfortunately INEC has failed to act impartially, as declared. The election results did not reflect the aspirations of the people of Ondo State. The declaration of Governor Ayedatiwa as the winner by INEC was met with widespread discontent, as evidenced by the somber atmosphere that followed.
“Our party has taken the legal step of filing a petition with the Electoral Tribunal. We will refrain from discussing this case in detail, but we remain committed to pursuing justice. Our people are educated, resilient and determined to uphold democracy.”
PDP candidates have called for electoral reform and asked the National Assembly to strengthen electoral laws to prevent rigging of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He argued that the current system is vulnerable to exploitation and undermines the integrity of elections.
Although Mr. Ajayi expressed concerns about the neutrality of the judiciary, he expressed confidence in the court’s ability to deliver justice.
“Despite concerns about the integrity of the judiciary, we remain confident in the judiciary’s ability to deliver justice. We remain optimistic that the courts will fairly decide our cases. The judiciary remains a vital institution in maintaining democracy, and we urge it to rise to this challenge.
“Ondo State deserves a leader freely and fairly elected by the people. We are determined to restore the integrity of our democracy and ensure that the mandate of the people is upheld.”
