The governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Lagos, has dismissed the petition of the People’s Democratic Party PDP and its candidate, Abdulazeez Adediran challenging the election of governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress, APC during the March 18 governorship election.
Justice Mikhail Abdullahi who read the judgment on behalf of the tribunal, first handled the preliminary objections filed by the parties.
The Tribunal, which was asked to determine whether the deputy governor could be listed as a respondent in the petition, held that the governor and his deputy were not separate candidates.
The tribunal also struck out the names of the fifth and sixth respondents, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party for being improperly joined in the petition, expunging all exhibits tendered in evidence by both parties.
The tribunal also disagreed with the objections made by the APC and its candidate that the misjoinder of the labour party and its candidate was a ground for the petition to be struck out adding that the fifth respondent, Rhodes-Vivour could not challenge any part of the judgment.
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Striking out other issues in their petition, the tribunal disclosed that the issue of nomination raised by the petitioner is a pre-election matter and termed it dead on arrival.
On the issue of qualification of the second and third respondents, the governor and his deputy, the petitioner alleged that the deputy governor did not include his oath of declaration in his INEC nomination form EC9 and the alleged forgery of the WAEC certificate of Babajide Sanwo olu, the tribunal however ruled in favour of the respondents.
The tribunal then affirmed that the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo olu was the duly elected governor of the state.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
