Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has reacted to the judgement of the Federal High Court, declaring him ineligible to run for governor in 2028.
PREMIUM TIMES, on Thursday, reported that the court, sitting in Akure, the state capital, held that the Constitution does not provide for a situation where an elected president, vice president, governor and deputy governor would spend more than eight years in office.
Mr Aiyedatiwa was sworn in on 27 December 2023 to complete the tenure of the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
He was later sworn in again on 24 February 2025, after he was declared the winner of the governorship election held on 16 November 2024.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Akindele Egbuwalo, had approached the court in July 2025 to resolve the question of the governor’s eligibility to stand for election for a second term.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, Mr Aiyedatiwa described the judgement as an unnecessary distraction, insisting that he had never declared interest in contesting another governorship election.
“I have not told anyone I am interested in running for re-election,” the statement quoted the governor as saying in an interview on Channels Television on Thursday.
He said the public had been misled by various narratives circulating on social media, stressing that he had not at any time indicated an intention to run in another election.
According to him, there is currently no timetable for any governorship election in the state, and he has taken no step suggesting such an ambition.
“I would like to start with just clarifying a bit of sanity as regards to this matter. Let me establish some truth so that the general public can have a better understanding of what has been and what is now. A lot has been said on social media and there are a lot of misconceptions and opinions trying to distort the truth.
“But the truth is that I have never at any time declared to anybody that I am going to contest an election. I have said this about a year ago. It is not time for any governorship election in this state.
“There is no timetable. There is no sign of any election and I have not expressed interest at any time that I am going to run for the office of the governor again because it is not yet time.”
Mr Aiyedatiwa also clarified that he did not approach the court to seek eligibility to contest any election, explaining that the case was initiated by other individuals seeking clarification on his eligibility.
He said the legal battle would not distract him from focusing on governance and delivering on the promises he made to the people of Ondo State.
“I don’t feel any form of distraction. I feel good and I will continue doing my work for the good people of Ondo State,” he said. “I want to fulfil the promises that I made during my campaign and ensure that I deliver.”
On whether he had ever considered contesting another election, Mr Aiyedatiwa said his focus remained on delivering on the fresh mandate he recently secured.
“I had an election. I completed the tenure of my late principal and I contested the election, which I won on November 16, 2024. It is still fresh. I have never thought about any other election other than delivering on the fresh mandate that has been given to me,” he said.
He acknowledged that he was aware of constitutional provisions regarding tenure for deputies who complete the tenure of their principals but insisted he had not begun to consider any future contest.
“You have to take things step by step, even though I am aware of the constitutional provisions that say a deputy who completes the tenure of his principal can only continue one more time,” he noted.
“I also know that the law talks about a Nigerian having the right to contest for the same position a maximum of two times, which is eight years. Those provisions are there but I have not even gone into that thinking because the election is still fresh,” he added.
On whether he would challenge the court judgement, Mr Aiyedatiwa said, “The judgement delivered by the Federal High Court in Akure is a judgement of the court. I have not seen the details. I only heard about it. My lawyers will look at it and if there is room for seeking further interpretation, they will advise. I cannot say yes or no for now.
“This is the first time this kind of case is happening in the constitution of Nigeria. We must look at it carefully so that there will be an authority on the matter for the future.”
The governor also denied allegations that he was pushing political opponents out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State.
He said politics thrives on numbers and insisted he was, instead, encouraging more people to join the party.
“It is not possible because politics is a game of numbers. Rather, I want more people to join our party, the APC. Some people may have different interests but the party is so big that you cannot drive anybody away,” he said.
Rift with Interior Minister
Mr Aiyedatiwa also dismissed suggestions of a rift with the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, stating that both of them remained members of the same political family.
“The young man you mentioned, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, I don’t have any issue with him. If you ask him, he will tell you he does not have any issue with me. Politics is laden with interest, and people have different interests, so sometimes you see push and pull,” he said.
The governor also dismissed claims linking the death of some individuals during the APC congress in the state to internal party disputes.
According to him, the incident was related to issues within the National Union of Road Transport Workers and not directly connected to the congress.
Mr Aiyedatiwa further explained that he had expanded the number of stakeholders participating in party meetings since assuming office.
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He said he inherited a structure where only 10 stakeholders from each local government attended meetings but later expanded it to ensure greater inclusivity.
“When I came on board as governor, I inherited a list of 10 members from each local government for stakeholders’ meetings.
“I expanded it to 20 per local government and later increased it to 30. Today, we have 60 stakeholders per local government attending meetings every quarter.
“That is about 1,080 members. So, where is the claim that people are being driven away? I am bringing more people to the party.”