Tribunal strikes out Rhodes-Vivour petition against Sanwo-Olu’s victory

The Lagos governorship election petition tribunal has affirmed Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the duly elected governor of the state.

In a judgment delivered on Monday, the tribunal dismissed the petition of the Labour Party (LP) and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, its candidate, for lacking in merit.

Rhodes-Vivour approached the tribunal to challenge Sanwo-Olu’s electoral victory in the March 18 polls.

He asked the court to nullify the governor’s election on the grounds of non-qualification and corrupt practices as well as non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

In his petition, the LP candidate also argued that Sanwo-Olu was not duly elected by a majority of the lawful votes cast.

The petitioners also challenged the eligibility of Obafemi Hamzat, Sanwo-Olu’s running-mate, alleging that he had sworn allegiance to the US, becoming a citizen of the country, and has renounced his Nigerian citizenship.

Earlier, the tribunal had struck out the petition of Abdul-Azeez Adediran, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging Sanwo-Olu’s election as governor of Lagos state.