The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal, on Monday, made a significant ruling by striking out the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, from the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Olajide Adediran. This petition challenges the results of the recent governorship election in Lagos State, which saw the victory of Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Obafemi Hamzat.
During the proceedings, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Arum Ashom, explained that they would first deliver judgment in the case of the PDP and its candidate before addressing the petition of the LP’s gubernatorial candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. Justice Abdullahi, who delivered the judgment, first considered the preliminary objections filed by the involved parties.
In one of the objections, the tribunal addressed the matter of listing the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, as a respondent in the petition. The tribunal clarified that a deputy governor and governor are not separate candidates and therefore are not required to pay a separate security deposit. This issue had already been settled in previous cases.
The PDP raised another objection, questioning whether a person who lost an election could be joined as a respondent in an election petition. The tribunal agreed that a petition is meant to be filed between the winner and the loser of an election, not between two individuals who both lost. As a result, the tribunal upheld the objection and removed the name of Rhodes-Vivour from the petition filed by Jandor.
The court also made a similar decision regarding the Labour Party, stating that they should not have been included as a respondent in Jandor and the PDP’s petition. Consequently, the name of the party was struck out due to improper joinder. All evidence and exhibits related to the Labour Party were expunged from the tribunal’s records.
It is worth noting that the removal of Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party from the petition means that they can no longer challenge any part of the judgment in Jandor’s petition, as doing so would make them meddlesome interlopers.
This ruling by the Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal is a significant development in ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the state’s governorship election. The final judgment is eagerly anticipated, as it will determine the outcome of the PDP’s petition and potentially impact the political landscape in Lagos State.
