Emmanuel OchayiIn a surprising twist at the Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal, the Labour Party and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, were unexpectedly removed from the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, Olajide Adediran, known as Jandor.
This unprecedented judgment, delivered by Justice Arum Ashom, has dramatically reshaped the election challenge.
Jandor had challenged the election results, contesting the return of Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Obafemi Hamzat as winners of the March 18 governorship election in Lagos State.
However, the tribunal’s decision to prioritize the PDP’s case over that of the Labour Party raised eyebrows and curiosity among legal experts and political observers alike.
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The tribunal’s ruling addressed crucial preliminary objections raised by the parties involved. Notably, it settled the debate about whether the Deputy Governor of Lagos, Obafemi Hamzat, should be considered a separate candidate from Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The tribunal’s stance was that they were not distinct candidates and were not required to submit separate security deposits.
Another contentious issue resolved by the tribunal was whether a candidate who had lost an election could be joined as a respondent in an election petition.
In this regard, the tribunal agreed with Jandor’s objections, emphasizing that election petitions are intended to be filed between the winner and loser of an election, not between two defeated candidates.
Consequently, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour’s name was struck from the petition, and all related evidence was expunged from the records.
Additionally, the tribunal found that the Labour Party (LP) should not have been included as a respondent in Jandor and the PDP’s petition, leading to the removal of the LP from the case and the expungement of all LP-related exhibits.
However, the tribunal did not agree with the objections raised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, suggesting that the misjoinder of the LP and its candidate should lead to the striking out of the entire petition. Instead, the tribunal decided to strike out the names of the parties involved.
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