In a significant legal development, the Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has made a decisive ruling on the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the outcome of the 2023 gubernatorial election. The tribunal’s decision centered on the preliminary objection put forth by the All Progressives Congress (APC), which sought to have the PDP’s petition dismissed.
The crux of the matter was the alleged failure of the petitioner, PDP, to adhere to the provisions of the Electoral Act regarding the payment of security costs. Justice Mikail Abdullahi, a member of the three-member tribunal panel, presiding over the preliminary motions challenging various aspects of the petition, ultimately dismissed the APC’s objection.
At the heart of this legal battle are the gubernatorial candidates: Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party and Olajide Adediran, widely known as Jandor, representing the PDP. Both are contesting the victory of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was declared the winner of the March 18, 2023, governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Sanwo-Olu secured a resounding victory, besting Rhodes-Vivour, who came in second.
To provide context, Sanwo-Olu received 762,134 votes, while Rhodes-Vivour garnered 312,329 votes. Meanwhile, Jide Adediran (Jandor) of the PDP trailed far behind with 62,449 votes.
The crux of Adediran and the PDP’s petition hinges on two main points: their assertion that Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, were not qualified to contest the election and their contention that Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party’s candidate, was also ineligible.
In this legal battle, INEC is named as the first respondent, followed by Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, APC, Rhodes-Vivour, and the Labour Party as the second to sixth respondents, respectively.
Adediran’s petition calls for the disqualification of both APC and Labour Party candidates in the election due to their alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2022 and INEC guidelines.
However, the APC’s preliminary objection aimed at having the PDP’s petition struck down was ultimately dismissed by the tribunal. Some motions filed by the second and third respondents to strike out specific paragraphs of the petition and additional statements on oaths, which exceeded the 21-day time frame stipulated by the Electoral Act, were partially successful.
Specifically, paragraphs 2 to 11 of the petition were struck out, along with the corresponding additional statement on oath. On a separate note, the Labour Party’s petition to have its name removed from the PDP’s petition did succeed.
This ruling sets the stage for what promises to be a closely watched and contentious legal battle as the Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal moves forward with its proceedings.