The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the November 16 Ondo State governorship election, Agboola Ajayi, has filed a petition with the Ondo State Election Petition Tribunal contesting the victory of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Aiyedatiwa the winner with 366,781 votes, while Ajayi secured 117,845 votes. Speaking at the Ondo State secretariat, Ajayi confirmed that his legal team had submitted the petition, though he refrained from revealing the specific grounds for his challenge.

Ajayi described the election result as a “miscarriage of democracy,” alleging incidents of vote-buying and voter intimidation. He claimed the outcome did not reflect the will of the electorate and called on the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act, citing concerns over the alleged manipulation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

Expressing confidence in the tribunal’s impartiality, Ajayi insisted that Ondo State deserves leaders elected through a transparent and credible process.

This development follows the dismissal of a separate suit by Ajayi at the Federal High Court in Akure. The court had rejected his challenge to the qualifications of Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, citing procedural flaws and lack of standing.