The Supreme Court has upheld the election victory of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, affirming his position as the Governor of Lagos State, News About Nigeria reports.
The judgment, delivered by a three-man panel consisting of Justice Yargata Nimpa, Justice Samuel Bola, and Justice Paul Bassey, concurred with earlier decisions from both the election petition tribunal and the Court of Appeal in Lagos State.
The case was brought before the Supreme Court by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party, who contested the election of Sanwo-Olu.
The central issue raised by Rhodes-Vivour pertained to the qualification of Sanwo-Olu’s running mate, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.
Rhodes-Vivour argued that Hamzat had renounced his Nigerian citizenship, raising concerns about his eligibility for the position.
He further argued that since Sanwo-Olu’s eligibility is impacted by Hamzat’s allegedly illegal nomination, the court should nullify their nomination as candidates for governor.
However, the Supreme Court held that Hamzat is a Nigerian by birth and clarified that the renunciation of citizenship must be officially registered by the Nigerian president, which the appellant failed to provide evidence of.
The court dismissed the appeal by the Labour Party candidate, deeming it lacking in merit.
The decision solidifies the previous rulings that validated the re-election of Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat as the Governor and Deputy Governor of Lagos State.
Another appeal brought by Abdulazeez Adediran, also known as Jandor, from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), raised concerns about discrepancies in the name Sanwo-Olu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) compared to his WAEC certificate.
However, the Supreme Court dismissed this appeal, describing it as ‘academic’.
