LP, PDP File Petitions to Challenge Sanwo-Olu’s Electoral Victory

•Labour party candidate argues Sanwo-Olu not qualified to contest

•Adediran wants all votes cast for Lagos gov, Rhodes-Vivour declared wasted

Wale Igbintade

The Labour Party’s (LP) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Patrick Rhodes-Vivour has filed a petition before the Lagos Governorship Election Tribunal challenging the results of election held on March 18, 2023.

Similarly, Dr. Abdul-Azeez Adediran and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in their petition stated that the Governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat were at the time of election not qualified to contest.

In his petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/04/2023 dated April 9, 2023, Rhodes-Vivour asked the tribunal to hold that Babajide Sanwo-Olu was not qualified to contest the election.

Aside Sanwo- Olu, other respondents in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as first to fourth respondents.

In his petition, the LP candidate stated that he was aggrieved with the outcome of the election and the return of Sanwo-Olu (2nd respondent) as the winner of the election.

He stated that, “The 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 the Federal High Court of Nigeria sitting at Abuja on 8th March, 2023 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 majority of the lawful votes cast at the election.”

Aside LP candidate, others who filed petitions challenging Sanwo-Olu victory were the PDP and its candidate, Adediran, the Allied People’s Movement (APM) and the Action People’s Party (APP).

The petition filed by Adediran and his party was based on two grounds. They stated that 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 1st 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 was the first respondent in the suit by the PDP candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Obafemi Hamzat, APC; Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the LP were listed as the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th respondent respectively.

The PDP governorship candidate said he was calling for the disqualification of the APC and the 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.

For its part, 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.”

The APM filed its petition against INEC, Sanwo-Olu, the APC and Hamzat as first to 4th respondents respectively.