Lagos: Tribunal to deliver judgement on Governorship petitions today

The Justice Arum Ashom-led Lagos State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal will today September 25, deliver judgment on the petitions filed by the governorship candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and his counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, against the emergence of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state.

 

Rhodes-Vivour and Jandor are challenging the return and declaration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners of the state governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

 

Rhodes-Vivour, in his petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/04/2023 dated April 9, 2023, had urged the tribunal to nullify Sanwo-Olu’s victory on the alleged grounds that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress was not qualified to run in the election. In his petition, Rhodes-Vivour contended that Sanwo-Olu’s emergence as the winner “was invalid by reason of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. The second respondent was not duly elected by the majority of the lawful votes cast at the election.”

 

Adediran, in his petition, contended that Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, were at the time of election not qualified to contest. He also said the LP candidate, Rhodes-Vivour, who was declared the first runner-up, was not qualified to participate in the election either. He urged the tribunal to invalidate the votes cast for both politicians and declare him the winner.

 

Recall that on August 12, Counsels adopted their final written addresses before the Tribunal.

 

The Lagos state deputy governor has arrived at the court as all parties await the judgment of the tribunal.