Kemisola Oye
THE Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Patrick Rhodes-Vivour has filed a petition before Lagos Governorship Election Tribunal challenging the results of the election held on 18 March 2023.
Rhodes-Vivour, in his petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/04/2023 dated 9 April 9, 2023, stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu was not qualified to contest the election.
Aside from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, other respondents in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat and APC as 1st to 4th Respondents.
In his petition, the LP candidate stated that he is dissatisfied with the outcome of the election and the return of Governor Sanwo-Olu (second respondent) as the winner of the election.
He stated that “2nd Respondent did not satisfy the mandatory requirements of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Manual for Election Officials 2023, the Regulation and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022 as well as the terms of the Mandamus Order of the Honourable Justice P. O. Lifu of a Federal High Court of Nigeria sitting at Abuja on 8th March 2023 which directed the enforcement of the statutory stipulations and Guidelines.
“The election of the 2nd Respondent was invalid by reason of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. The 2nd Respondent was not duly elected by a majority of the lawful votes cast at the election.”
Aside from the LP candidate, others who filed petitions challenging Sanwo-Olu’s victory are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, the Allied People’s Movement (APM) and the Action People’s Party (APP).
Also, in the petition filed by Dr. Abdul-Azeez Adediran and his party, the PDP, the petitioners based his petition on two grounds namely that the governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat were at the time of election not qualified to contest.
Adediran also stated that the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who was declared by the first respondent (INEC) as having scored the second highest number of votes was, at the time of the election, also not qualified to contest.
While INEC is the first respondent, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Obafemi Hamzat, APC; Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the LP are listed as the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Respondents, respectively.
The PDP governorship candidate called for the disqualification of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP) candidates in the election for “non-compliance” with the Electoral Act 2022 as well as the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Adediran also asked that all votes cast for them in the election be declared wasted.
Sanwo-Olu polled 762,134 votes to defeat Rhodes-Vivour, his closest rival, who scored 312,329 votes in the election. Adediran garnered 62,449 votes to come third in the poll.
The Allied People’s Movement (APM) party in its four grounds of petition stated that “The 2nd Respondent was, at the time of the election, not qualified to contest the election.
“That the 4th Respondent was at the time of election not qualified to contest the election. The election was invalid because of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022. The 2nd Respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the election.”
APM filed its petition against INEC Sanwo-Olu, APC, and Hamzat as 1st to 4th Respondents, respectively.
Eighteen-Eleven Media