The Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal has made significant rulings in the ongoing case involving the Labour Party and its candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, in relation to the petition brought forward by Olajide Adediran, also known as Jandor, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the outcome of the recent governorship election in the state.
During the proceedings on September 25, as reported by Channels TV, Justice Arum Ashom, the Chairman of the tribunal, announced the sequence of judgment deliveries. The tribunal decided to first address the PDP's case before proceeding with the Labour Party's candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour's petition. The panel also included Justice Mikail Abdullahi and Justice Igho Braimoh.
The tribunal, in its judgment read by Justice Abdullahi, initially considered several preliminary objections. One key objection questioned whether the Deputy Governor of Lagos, Obafemi Hamzat, should be treated as a separate candidate from Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the 2nd respondent. The tribunal clarified that a deputy governor and a governor are not distinct candidates and do not need to submit separate security deposits.
In another objection, the tribunal addressed the issue of whether a person who lost an election could be included as a respondent in an election petition. Jandor had included the Labour Party's candidate, Rhodes-Vivour, as a respondent in his petition. Citing precedent cases, the tribunal concurred that election petitions typically involve disputes between the winner and the loser of an election, not between two individuals who both lost.
Consequently, the tribunal upheld the preliminary objection and removed Rhodes-Vivour, the 5th respondent, from Jandor's petition. All evidence and exhibits related to Rhodes-Vivour in the petition were also removed from the tribunal's records. The tribunal emphasized that Rhodes-Vivour cannot subsequently challenge any aspect of the judgment in Jandor's petition, as that would be considered interference.
Similarly, the tribunal ruled that the Labour Party, the 6th respondent, should not have been included in Jandor and the PDP's petition and removed the party for improper inclusion. All evidence and exhibits related to the party were also expunged. However, the tribunal did not agree with objections made by the APC and its candidate regarding the misjoinder of the Labour Party and its candidate, stating that such misjoinder did not warrant the striking out of the entire petition.
In summary, the tribunal clarified key issues related to the inclusion of respondents in the election petition, removing certain parties and exhibits while allowing the main case to proceed.
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