Lagos Tribunal Dismisses LP’s Rhodes-Vivour, PDP’s Jandor Petitions Against Governor Sanwo-Olu
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The Lagos Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has dismissed the petitions filed by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party, and Olajide Adediran, also known as Jandor of the Peoples Democratic Party, challenging the election of Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Sanwo-Olu as the winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state.
Rhodes-Vivour and Jandor had filed petitions to challenge the declaration, saying Sanwo-Olu did not secure the most valid votes.
A member of the tribunal’s three-member panel, Justice Mikail Abdullahi, who announced the judgement said the petitions were dismissed.
It was earlier reported that the tribunal had struck out the petition filed by Rhodes-Vivour and Labour Party (LP) from that of the PDP.
A member of the tribunal’s three-member panel, Justice Mikail Abdullahi, who read some preliminary motions challenging the competence of some aspects of the petition, stated this while delivering judgment on the objections raised by respondents in the matter.
Prior to the ruling , there was heavy security at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, where the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal was set to deliver judgment on the petitions filed against the election of Governor Sanwo-Olu.
The Labour Party’s candidate, Rhodes-Vivour, had in his petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/04/2023 dated April 9, 2023, pleaded with the tribunal to nullify Sanwo-Olu’s victory.
According to him, Sanwo-Olu who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not qualified to run in the election.
Rhodes-Vivour argued that Sanwo-Olu’s emergence as the winner “was not duly elected by the majority of the lawful votes cast at the election”.
Also, the PDP candidate in his petition argued that Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, Hamzat and the Labour Party candidate in the election were not qualified to participate in the election.
