The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has made a significant ruling in the case involving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Olajide Adediran (popularly known as Jandor), and the recent governorship election. Jandor had challenged the victory of Babajide SanwoOlu and Obafemi Hamzat in the March 18 election.
During the tribunal's proceedings, the Chairman, Justice Arum Ashom, announced that the judgment for the PDP and its candidate would be delivered before the judgment for the Labour Party's candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. The tribunal's decision was read by Justice Mikail Abdullahi on behalf of the panel.
The tribunal addressed preliminary objections raised by the parties, including whether the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, should be listed as a separate candidate from Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The tribunal ruled that a deputy governor and governor are not separate candidates, and they are not required to pay a separate security deposit.
Additionally, the tribunal considered whether a person who lost an election could be joined as a respondent in an election petition. The tribunal agreed that a petition should be filed between the winner and the loser of an election, not between two individuals who lost.
As a result, the tribunal upheld the preliminary objection, striking out the name of Rhodes-Vivour from Jandor's petition and expunging all exhibits related to Rhodes-Vivour from the records. The Labour Party was also removed from the petition for being improperly joined.
However, the tribunal did not agree with objections made by the APC and its candidate, arguing that the misjoinder of the LP and its candidate was not a ground for striking out the petition.
The hearing of the judgment is ongoing.
