Lucky Aiyedatiwa, governor of Ondo State, has described a ruling by the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Akure restraining him from seeking another term in office as premature and a distraction from governance.

The governor reacted to the judgment on Thursday while appearing on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, where he said discussions about the 2028 off-cycle governorship election were unnecessary at this time.

Aiyedatiwa noted that he had only recently secured a fresh mandate from the people of the state in the November 16, 2024 governorship election and should be allowed to focus on delivering on his campaign promises.

“This is too early. Why don’t you wait till 2027 or when the off-cycle timetable will be out in early 2028? Maybe at that time, I might begin to think, wait a minute, do I have the right to contest or not? At that time, one can begin to seek interpretation of some of these clauses in the constitution,” he said.

The governor stressed that his immediate priority is governance rather than future electoral contests.

“I went into a free and fair, conclusive election, which I won on the 16th of November 2024, so it is still fresh. I have never thought about any other election other than delivering on the mandate that has been given to me,” Aiyedatiwa said.

He added that although he is aware of the constitutional provision limiting governors to eight years in office, he has not yet examined how it might apply to his situation.

“All I was occupied with was to govern and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people until somebody woke up and began to challenge it,” he said.

Aiyedatiwa also described the legal challenge as an unnecessary distraction, noting that he had already navigated intense political battles, including surviving an impeachment attempt.

“This distraction will be put to rest because it is a whole lot of distraction for me, having gone through election and survived impeachment,” the governor said.

Responding to political insinuations surrounding the lawsuit, he dismissed claims that he was involved in a political witch-hunt or forcing members out of the All Progressives Congress.

According to him, the ruling party remains strong in the state, adding that politics is ultimately “a game of numbers” and that he is not driving anyone away from the party.