The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal will on Monday deliver its judgment on the petitions filed by the governorship candidates of the Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olajide Adediran popularly known as Jandor, challenging the victory of Governor Babajide Sanwoolu in the March 18 governorship elections.
The panel, led by Justice Arum Ashom, communicated this message to parties on Saturday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced that Governor Sanwo-Olu secured 762,134 votes, while Mr. Rhodes-Vivour and Jandor secured 312,329 and 62,449 votes, respectively.
In a petition dated 7th of April and marked as EPT/LAG/GOV/01/2023, Jandor and PDP sought the disqualification of both Mr. Sanwo-Olu and Mr. Rhodes-Vivour from the election, citing “non-compliance” with the Electoral Act of 2022.
They alleged that APC did not comply with the INEC timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general election, which stipulated that all political parties must give 21 days’ notice to INEC before the conduct of their primaries. The petitioners also alleged that APC failed to comply with the requirement of the Electoral Act 2022, which states that every political party sponsoring a candidate in the general election shall submit the nomination form of such candidate(s) not later than 180 days before the conduct of the general election in forms EC9.
On his part, Rhodes-Vivour alleged non-qualification and claims of corrupt practices, adding that Governor Sanwoolu was not duly elected by a majority of the lawful votes cast.
INEC is the first respondent in the petition, Mr. Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, are the second and third respondents, respectively, while APC is the fourth respondent.
Rhodes-Vivour Tenders Over 20,000 Documents Before Election Tribunal
