Victor EzejaThe Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has upheld the declaration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as winner of the March 18 election in the state.
Prime Business Africa reports that the tribunal has dismissed the petitions lodged by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the LP (Labour Party) and Olajide Adediran popularly known as Jandor of the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party).
The judge, Justice Mikhail Abdullah, on behalf of the three-man panel of the tribunal, made this known on Monday, while delivering judgment on the objections raised by the respondents in the case.
The tribunal was led by Justice Arum Ashom as chairman. At the commencement of proceedings, Justice Arum announced that the court would first deliver judgment in the case of the PDP & its candidate before giving its judgment in the petition of the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. He later gave the floor Justice Abdullah to read the judgment on behalf of the panel.
Both candidates of the Labour Party and PDP had gone to the tribunal to challenge the election of Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat.
The tribunal held that Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Hamzat were validly nominated by their party, the APC), to contest the election.
The tribunal cited relevant sections of the 1999 constitution and the Electoral Act and other cases to prove that it was a pre-election matter and did not relate to the conduct of the polls being challenged.
The tribunal further ruled that the petitioners lacked locus standi to challenge the primaries of the party that produced Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat as governorship and deputy governorship candidates because they were not members of the APC.
The Tribunal finally ruled that the petition filed by Jandor and PDP “lacks merit and is accordingly dismissed.”
“I affirm the election and return of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu as the duly elected governor of Lagos state. Parties are to bear their cost,” the judge stated.
Jandor had joined the Candidate of the Labour Party, Rhodes-Vivour as a respondent in his petition. The court, however, struck out the name of the Rhodes-Vivour from the petition, arguing that an election was supposed to be between a loser and a winner not between two losers.
The panel also dismissed the petition filed by the Labour Party candidate for lack of merit.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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