Tribunal Strikes Out Labour Party and Rhodes-Vivour from Jandor’s Petition Against Governor Sanwo-Olu

In a significant development at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja today, the Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has made a crucial decision regarding the petitions against the election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The tribunal, presided over by a three-member panel, delivered its judgment, striking out the petition filed by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party (LP), effectively separating it from the one brought forward by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

This move comes after preliminary motions challenging the competence of certain aspects of the petition were raised by respondents during the proceedings. Justice Mikail Abdullahi, a member of the tribunal panel, announced this pivotal decision, casting a spotlight on the contentious election results.

Rhodes-Vivour, representing the Labour Party, had submitted his petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/04/2023 dated April 9, 2023, seeking to nullify the victory of Governor Sanwo-Olu. His argument centered on the claim that Sanwo-Olu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was not qualified to run in the election. Rhodes-Vivour contended that Sanwo-Olu’s victory did not reflect the will of the majority of lawful voters, thereby raising questions about the legitimacy of the election outcome.

Meanwhile, Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor and the candidate of the PDP in the 2023 governorship election, had also raised concerns in his petition. Adediran asserted that not only Governor Sanwo-Olu but also his deputy and the Labour Party candidate were not qualified to participate in the election. These petitions collectively posed a significant challenge to the results of the 2023 Lagos State governorship election.