THE Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has affirmed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s victory in the March 11 gubernatorial poll.
In a judgement delivered on Monday, September 25, the court dismissed the petitions of Olajide Adeniran Jandor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a unanimous judgement read by Mikail Abdullahi on behalf of the three-person panel, the tribunal held that the PDP’s petition and its governorship candidate lacked merit.
The court subsequently dismissed Adediran’s case.
Before considering the issues for resolution, the court focused on the parties’ objections before ruling.
The tribunal ruled it had the authority and capability to hear the petition.
Ruling on another issue bothering on whether Sanwo-Olu and his running mate Obafemi Hamzat had received legitimate nominations to run in the elections from their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the tribunal said the matter was a pre-election matter unrelated to the conduct of the disputed polls.
It cited relevant sections of the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and similar matters decided by courts.
On the matter of the allegedly forged certificate presented by Sanwo-Olu, the tribunal noted, among other things, that the petitioner, who testified in his petition that Sanwo-Olu did not attend the Community Grammar School, Ijebu-Ife, where the certificate originated from, and claimed the school’s principal was still alive, failed to bring the school’s principal or any other staff members to testify about the certificate.
The tribunal said the petition lacked merit and was dismissed accordingly.
“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 court ruled.
The tribunal has adjourned and will soon resume ruling on the Labour Party’s plea.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Sanwo-Olu the winner of the governorship election.
Sanwo-Olu got 762,134 votes to beat Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the LP, who scored 312,329 votes, while Adediran came third with 62,449 votes.
A reporter with the ICIR
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