The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has struck out the application of the Governorship Candidate of the PDP, Olajide Adediran popularly known as Jandor, who was seeking a disqualification of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s candidature by the Tribunal.
Jandor had argued this motion, alongside his formal petition in which he is challenging the return of Mr Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, Obafemi Hamzat in the March 18 governorship elections in Lagos State.
The petitioner had contended that Mr Sanwo-Olu was not qualified to be elected, and therefore wrongfully nominated and sponsored by his party, the All Progressives Party.
He had replied on section 134(1)(a) of the Electoral Act of 2022 which deals with grounds of instituting an electoral petition.
But, Justice Mikail Abdullahi while reading the Tribunal’s decision on the matter held that this position didn’t form part of the grounds for disqualification for election into the office of Governor, under sections 177 and 182 of the Nigerian Constitution (as amended).
The tribunal also declared that it has no powers to inquire into the primary election of the APC which produced Mr Sanwo-Olu, saying it is a pre-election matter which doesn’t fall under its jurisdiction.
‘Only an aspirant or member of a political party can complain about the outcome of the party’s primary, not a busybody like the petitioner.”
This ruling forms part of the judgment being delivered in Jandor’s petition.
The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Arum Ashom earlier on Monday, announced that judgment over the petition of the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour will be delivered afterwards.
The third judge on the panel is Justice Igho Braimoh.
The tribunal also struck out the names of the Labour Party and it’s candidate among the list of respondents, saying a petition is contemplated to be filed between the winner and the loser of an election and not between two persons who lost.
The tribunal also expunged from its records all exhibits tendered in evidence by Mr Rhodes-Vivour and the LP in Jandor’s petition, adding that they cannot subsequently go on to challenge any part of the judgment in Jandor’s petition or else will become a meddlesome interloper.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the governorship election.
He polled 762,134 votes to beat Mr Rhodes-Vivour, who scored 312,329 votes. Jide Adediran came a distant third, polling 62,449 votes.
