Governorship Election: Tribunal Orders Substituted Service on Sanwo-Olu

Wale Igbintade and Steven Aya

The Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the Special Offences Court premises in Ikeja, has granted the motion ex-parte brought before it by the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate, Gbadebo Patrick Rhodes-Vivour, for a substituted service on the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-olu.

Rhodes-Vivour, had challenged the outcome of the March 18, governorship election in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had declared Sanwo-Olu as the winner.

At the sitting of the tribunal yesterday, Rhodes-Vivour, and the Labour Party, through their counsel, Mr. Olagbade Benson, informed the tribunal that Sanwo-olu had been evading service of the petition by bailiff.

According to Benson, Sanwo-Olu refused to collect the document from the bailiff when the court official got to his office to serve him.

The plaintiff in the petition marked, EPT/LAG/GOV/04/2023, is praying the court to grant the Petitioner/Applicant leave to serve the petition and other processes in the suit on the governor and his deputy through substituted means by posting same via DHL Courier Services or any other recognised courier service company to the Respondent’s official residence at Lagos House, Marina, Lagos.

The petitioners had challenged the outcome of the March 18 Governorship Election in Lagos State which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Sanwo-Olu the winner.

The tribunal has received a total of 48 petitions in respect of the 2023 elections held on February 25 and March 11.

The petitions were pasted on the wall of the Rosaline Omotosho Courthouse, Ikeja, venue of the tribunal sitting.