Lagos Governorship Election Tribunal Upholds Sanwo-Olu’s Re-election, Dismisses PDP’s Petition

The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has affirmed the re-election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and dismissed the petition of Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Jandor had challenged the return of Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Obafemi Hamzat.

Justice Mikhail Abdullahi presided over the case and held that Sanwo-Olu and his deputy were qualified to contest the governorship election under Section 177 of the Constitution.

This section outlines the qualifications for a gubernatorial candidate, including being a citizen of Nigeria by birth, attaining the age of thirty-five years, being a member of a political party, and having an education up to at least School Certificate level.

Justice Abdullahi stated, “We have considered the evidence before this court. He [Sanwo-Olu] has the highest number of votes. This petition is dead on arrival. Given the evidence adduced before the court, the grounds on which the petitioner is seeking disqualification of 2nd and 3rd respondents lack merit. I have found Gov Sanwo-Olu and deputy, Dr. Hamzat duly elected and therefore declared them the winner.”

Justice Arum Ashom and Justice Igho Braimoh also concurred with the judgment.

Previously, the Tribunal had struck out Jandor’s application seeking the disqualification of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s candidature. Jandor argued that Sanwo-Olu was not qualified to be elected and was wrongfully nominated and sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, the Tribunal ruled that the disqualification grounds did not apply to the office of Governor as per the Nigerian Constitution.

The tribunal also clarified that it lacked jurisdiction to inquire into the APC’s primary election process, stating that only aspirants or party members could challenge the outcome of a party’s primary.

• Lagos Governorship Election Tribunal to Announce Verdict on Sanwo-Olu’s Victory
• DSS Joins Investigation into Mohbad’s Death: Sanwo-Olu Assures Public of Accountability
• ENUGU: INEC fails to produce witnesses in governorship Election Petition Tribunal
• Zamfara PDP, APC bicker over leaked audio on Election Petition Tribunal
• Court throws out petition against Enugu Governor

The tribunal also removed the names of the Labour Party and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, from the list of respondents, emphasizing that a petition should be filed between the winner and the loser of an election, not between two individuals who both lost.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had previously declared Sanwo-Olu of the APC as the winner of the governorship election.

This ruling marks a significant development in the legal challenges surrounding the Lagos State governorship election.