Lagos Governorship Tribunal: Counsel Adopt Final Written Address

By Steve Aya

The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has reserved judgement in the petitions against the election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat. 

The Tribunal led by Justice Arum Igyen Ashom, said it would communicate a date for judgement to the parties, after counsels adopted their final written addresses. 

Gbdebo Rhodes-Vivour and Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran also known as Jandor, are challenging the return of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as well as his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the March 18 Governorship election in Lagos State.

While the two Petitioners were absent, the 3rd Respondent, (Obafemi Hamzat) was present in court on Saturday.

INEC is the 1st Respondent in the petition, while Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat are listed as the 2nd and 3rd Respondent, respectively. The APC is listed as the 4th Respondent.

Adopting his address, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, asked the court to dismiss the petitions of the Labour Party and that of the Peoples Democratic Party, for lacking in merit and being a mere academic exercise. He noted that there was no reference to the 2nd Respondent, but instead the address dwelt on the 3rd Respondent.

“They have abandoned their petition, and also abandoned any issues against the 2nd Respondent.”

He said the matter of non-qualification of the Deputy Governor as claimed by the Labour Party went to no issue, as the allegation of his renunciation of Nigerian citizenship and the swearing of oath of allegiance to the United States were not sufficiently proven. 

Similarly, counsel to the APC, Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, contended that the argument of the Petitioner about citizenship of the Deputy Governor was not duly proven by the Petitioners. 

Olatunji Benson, counsel to Labour Party and its Governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, asked the Tribunal to hold the position of his clients, that the Deputy Governor did not qualify to contest, and he and the Governor should be removed from office and the Petitioner declared as the Governor of Lagos State.

Adopting his final written address, counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party, Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, argued that Governor Sanwo-Olu did not have a secondary school leaving certificate, and therefore, was not qualified to be Governor. 

Counsel for INEC, Charles Edosonwan, SAN in the adoption of his final written address asked the Tribunal to dismiss Rhodes-Viviour’s petition for lack of evidence. He said, “One of the issues raised by the Petitioner, is whether the election was conducted in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act? On this issue, we say that they have provided no scintilla of proof, to show it wasn’t. A petition erected on such an allegation was sought to be proven by 10 witnesses in a State that has 13,325 polling units. The petition is materially challenged”.