JUST IN: Supreme Court Validates Sanwo-Olu’s Victory, Rejects Rhodes-Vivour’s Appeal

The Supreme Court has solidified Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s position as the legitimately elected governor of Lagos State.

An eight-member panel at the apex court decisively rejected the appeal filed by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections.

Rhodes-Vivour’s primary contention centered around the eligibility of Kadri Hamzat, the deputy governor of Lagos, who was sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Rhodes-Vivour argued that Hamzat, by renouncing his Nigerian citizenship and adopting that of the United States, was unqualified.

However, the court dismissed this claim, asserting that there was no substantial evidence supporting the assertion that the deputy governor had renounced his Nigerian citizenship. Emphasizing a lack of constitutional provision stripping a Nigerian citizen by birth of their citizenship, the court maintained that even if one voluntarily acquires the citizenship of another country, it doesn’t negate their Nigerian citizenship.

This ruling solidifies Sanwo-Olu’s mandate and brings a conclusion to the legal challenge posed by Rhodes-Vivour.