April 19, 2023

Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has granted leave to the PDP Gubernatorial Candidate for the state, Dr. Azeez Adediran (Jandor), for a substituted service of an election petition on the state Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The tribunal also granted that Adediran should do same for Labour Party’s Gubernatorial Candidate, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

The respondents in the petition numbered EPT/LAG/GOV/01/2023 are Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sanwo-Olu, Sanwo-Olu’s Deputy, Dr. Hamzat Obafemi; APC, Rhodes-Vivour and Labour Party (LP).

Adediran and his party , PDP, through their counsel, Mr Austin Akpomreta, had told the tribunal that he was unable to effect personal service of the petition on Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat and Rhodes-Vivour.

He said that the respondents were not physically present to receive the court process.

Adediran prayed the court to grant him leave to serve the petition and other processes on the governor and his deputy through any officer or the secretary of APC in its Lagos State Secretariat at No. 151, Acme Road, Ikeja.

He also prayed the court to grant him leave to serve the petition and other processes on Rhodes-Vivour through any officer or secretary of LP in its Lagos State Secretariat at No. 59, Oduduwa Way, GRA, Lagos.

The tribunal granted all the reliefs.

In the petition, Adediran and PDP claimed that Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Hamzat, were, at the time of election, not qualified to contest.

Adediran and PDP also submitted that Rhodes-Vivour, declared by INEC to have scored the second highest number of votes at the Feb. 25 gubernatorial election, was, at the time of the election, also not qualified to contest.

The PDP governorship candidate called for the disqualification of Sanwo-Olu and Rhodes-Vivour in the election for non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s guidelines.

Adediran and PDP also asked that all votes cast for the two candidates in the election should be declared wasted. (NAN)