September 25, (THEWILL) – The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has affirmed Babajide Sanwo-Olu the duly elected Governor of Lagos in the March 18 gubernatorial election in the State.
A three-member panel of Justices, led by Justice Arum Ashom, declared Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the duly elected Governor after dismissing the two petitions filed by the governorship candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and his counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor.
Delivering a ruling on Monday, the tribunal held that the joint petition filed by Jandor and the PDP, l as well as the petition of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party, lacked merit.
It also declared the qualification of Governor Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, as a pre-election matter.
On the issue of the forged certificate allegedly presented by Governor Sanwo-Olu, the tribunal noted amongst other things that the petitioner, Jandor, who testified in his petition, told the court that he (Sanwo-Olu) did not attend the school, Community Grammar School, Ijebu-Ife, where the certificate originated from. He had also testified that the principal of the school was still alive.
The tribunal wondered why the petitioner failed to call as a witness, the principal of the school, or any of the staff to testify about the certificate.
“The petition lacks merit and is accordingly dismissed. 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,”,l the Tribunal held.
THEWILL reports the two other members of the panel are Justice Mikail Abdullahi and Justice Igho Braimoh.
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