The Court of Appeal in Lagos has affirmed the victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 18 governorship election. The appellate court upheld the verdict of the Lagos State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which had earlier dismissed the petitions filed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party challenging Sanwo-Olu’s victory.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Sanwo-Olu the winner with 762,134 votes. The court’s decision further solidifies his victory, dismissing appeals filed by the PDP’s Olajide Adediran (Jandor) and Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. Rhodes-Vivour came second with 62,499 votes.
The three-man appellate court panel, led by Justice Yargata Nimpar, unanimously dismissed the appeals, stating that they lacked merit. Justice Nimpar, in the lead judgment, mentioned that Jandor lacked the standing to challenge the APC’s primary that produced Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat.
Governor Sanwo-Olu welcomed the court’s decision with humility, expressing confidence in the country’s judicial system. He emphasized the validation of the people’s choice and stated that the APC would continue to have faith in the judicial process.