Toba Owojaiye Reporting
Today at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, the court upheld INEC’s decision to return Babajide Sanwo-Olu as governor of Lagos state. The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal Petition was presided over by a panel of three members, the court separated the petition brought forth by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party (LP) from the one initiated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The tribunal dismissed the Labour Party and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, from the PDP’s petition, which opposes the re-election of Sanwo-Olu and Obafemi Hamzat. Justice Arum Ashom, the tribunal’s chairman, announced that the court would first deliver judgment in the PDP’s case before addressing the Labour Party’s petition.
Rhodes-Vivour, representing the Labour Party, submitted his petition with the aim of invalidating Governor Sanwo-Olu’s victory, arguing that Sanwo-Olu did not meet the qualifications to contest the election. He contended that Sanwo-Olu’s triumph did not accurately reflect the will of the majority of lawful voters, raising concerns about the election’s legitimacy.
Meanwhile, Olajide Adediran, also known as Jandor and the PDP candidate in the 2023 governorship election, expressed concerns in his petition about the qualifications of Governor Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, and the Labour Party candidate. These petitions collectively posed a substantial challenge to the results of the 2023 Lagos State governorship election.
The tribunal addressed several preliminary objections. It determined that the deputy governor and governor are not separate candidates and are not required to pay separate security deposits. It also upheld the objection that a person who lost an election could not be joined as a respondent in an election petition. Consequently, Rhodes-Vivour’s name was struck out from Jandor’s petition, and all related exhibits were expunged from the records.
The tribunal similarly held that the Labour Party should not have been made a respondent in Jandor and the PDP’s petition, striking out the party’s name and expunging associated evidence and exhibits. However, it disagreed with objections made by the APC and its candidate regarding the misjoinder of the LP and its candidate, stating that misjoinder did not warrant striking out the petition, but rather the names of the parties should be struck out.