Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has said he will wait for the courts to determine the constitutional debate surrounding his eligibility to seek another term in office before taking any further political step ahead of the 2028 governorship election.
The governor addressed the issue on Friday night while speaking with selected broadcast media houses at the Government House in Akure.
Aiyedatiwa first assumed office in December 2023 following the death of former governor Rotimi Akeredolu. He was later elected in his own right and sworn in again in February 2025 after winning the state governorship election.
However, the question of whether he can legally seek another term in 2028 has sparked debate among political observers and legal experts, with some arguing that doing so could amount to a third oath of office.
The controversy followed a suit filed at the Federal High Court by an All Progressives Congress chieftain, Dr. Akin Egbuwalo, seeking interpretation of Section 137(3) of the Constitution regarding the eligibility of Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Dr. Olayide Adelami, to contest another term.
Judgment in the case was initially scheduled for January 28 but was halted after the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure ordered a suspension of the ruling pending determination of an appeal before the appellate court.
Speaking on the matter, Aiyedatiwa questioned why a sitting governor with constitutional immunity was taken to court over what he described as a speculative issue.
“Why should I be taken to court in the first place when the constitution guarantees immunity for me? It’s only on electoral matters that you can take me to court,” he said.
“If I conduct an election and maybe I win the election and you say it was full of substantial irregularity, you can challenge that. But the Supreme Court of Nigeria has ruled that on my election, I was duly elected.”
The governor expressed concern that the case was filed barely a month after he was sworn in following his electoral victory.
“I’m sworn in one month after, somebody filed a case on something that is futuristic. Where is that happening?” he asked.
“I’m a sitting governor that has immunity. Why do you take me to court? So all of that will be decided because I have not told anybody that I’m running an election in 2028.”
Aiyedatiwa stressed that the legal challenge was premature, noting that the electoral process for the 2028 election had not begun.
“An election is a process. You first of all show interest, expression of interest. There will have to be a timetable first by the party and then the electoral umpire.
“All the timetables that have been displayed so far, there is no governorship election among them,” he said.
“So on what basis are you now taking me to court, challenging something futuristic? And then a sitting governor with immunity. Let the court decide what that will be.”
He added that any legal dispute about his eligibility should arise only after he formally declares interest in contesting.
“Wait until that time when I come out that I want to run, then you can take me to court,” he said.
On internal party affairs, the governor also commented on the recently concluded congresses of the All Progressives Congress in the state, stating that the exercises were conducted peacefully.
“We had our congress at the ward level, the local government and at the state. All of that has been done, but the party will eventually release the result because that has not been announced,” he said.
Aiyedatiwa dismissed reports suggesting that the congresses had deepened divisions within the party in the state.
“APC is one in Ondo State. We are not divided. But interests differ when it comes to political positions. That is politics,” he added.