Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State expressed his gratitude and called the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s judgment a victory for all citizens during a press conference held at the State House in Ikeja.
This declaration came after an extensive 11-hour judgment session led by Justice Arum Ashom at the Roseline Omotosho Court in Lagos.
The tribunal’s unanimous decision saw the dismissal of two petitions, one from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate Abdulazeez Adediran, also known as Jandor, and the other from Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party governorship candidate.
Governor Sanwo-Olu praised the judges for their diligent work and lauded the comprehensive nature of their judgment. He interpreted the verdict as a call to heightened public service commitment and vowed to continue working tirelessly to deliver the benefits of democracy to the people of Lagos.
He stated, “It was a long, tough process, but we are grateful that the voice of the people of Lagos was heard and upheld. The deputy governor and I are very privileged and thankful to residents for standing for and by us. It is a victory for all, no winner, no loser. It is, however, an opportunity for more work and service. Therefore, we will continue to work harder to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu extended an olive branch to fellow candidates, inviting them to join hands in building the Lagos of their shared dreams. He emphasized, “If they have the passion to serve, we can work together because there is room for everyone to contribute meaningfully to the Lagos we all desire to see.”
Reacting to the judgment, Mr. Olagbade Benson, Senior Counsel to the Labour Party (LP) candidate, encouraged party members to remain calm and respect the rule of law, acknowledging that the tribunal had fulfilled its role to the best of its knowledge.
The tribunal, led by Justice Arum Ashom, dismissed the petition filed by Rhodes-Vivour on the grounds of lacking merit. Regarding the deputy governor’s oath of allegiance to the United States of America, the tribunal ruled that his Nigerian citizenship by birth allowed him to contest the election, affirming the validity of INEC’s declaration of Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat as the duly elected governor and deputy governor.
For the PDP governorship candidate’s case, Mr. Austin Akpomreta, the defense counsel, noted that the next steps would be determined after reviewing the judgment with his client.
Furthermore, the tribunal declared a petition by Adediran against Sanwo-Olu’s election as “dead on arrival,” citing a lack of merit. The tribunal held that the petition’s argument regarding Sanwo-Olu’s nomination and sponsorship by the APC did not constitute grounds for disqualification under the Nigerian Constitution. Additionally, the tribunal stated that it lacked the authority to investigate the APC’s primary election, as it fell under the category of pre-election matters beyond its jurisdiction.
