Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Monday, has dismissed the suit instituted by the People’s Democratic Party challenging the January 18 Local Government Elections in the state.

The case with suit NO: AK/1/2025 was instituted on the January 3, 2025 to challenge the procedure and issuance of Notice of Election in the run-up to the local government elections.

The PDP, through its counsel, Adetunji Oso, Esq, argued that the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) did not comply with Sections 28(1)-(3) and Section 29 (1)-(4) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and items 11 and 12 on the Concurrent Legislative List, Part II Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.

Defense Counsel to the Ondo State independent Electoral Commission, Batife Philips, Esq, argued among other grounds that the electoral body sufficiently complied with all extant laws guiding the conduct of local government elections.

He, therefore, prayed the court to dismiss the case of the PDP and asked for a cost for the suit which he argued was baseless and time wasting.

In his judgement, the High Court Judge, Hon. Justice Sunday Olorundaunsi, noted that for the PDP to have participated in all the pre-election activities and voluntarily opted out of the elections four days before the election could not be heard to complain of insufficient notices in compliance with the Electoral Act when the defendant actually gave notice for more than the 360 days provided by the Electoral Act.

Justice Olorundaunsi held that the court would refuse the antics of politicians to drag the judiciary into their politics as the people’s fund should not be aimlessly wasted on the prayer of the PDP to nullify the process and order fresh notices for the conduct of another local government elections.

The court therefore ordered the payment of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) in favour of the ODIEC against PDP.