The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Lagos State and its Governorship Candidate, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor) have submitted a petition before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal of Lagos State.
The party and Adediran are calling for the disqualification of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP) candidates in the election for non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
In the petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/01/2023 dated April 7, the petitioners challenged the outcome of the March 18 governorship election on grounds of substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Law as well as the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
While INEC is the 1st respondent, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his Deputy Governorship candidate, Dr Obafemi Hamzat; the All Progressive Congress (APC), the Labour Party Governorship Candidate, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party respectively are the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th respondents.
Besides non-compliance with relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, Adediran and PDP in their petition are claiming that at the time of the governorship election held on March 18, 2023, Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, and Rhodes-Vivour were not qualified to contest the election.
The petitioners, therefore, prayed that all votes cast for them in the election be declared wasted.
“The 2nd and 3rd Respondents, although not duly sponsored and not qualified, contested along with the 1st Petitioner and others for the office of Governor of Lagos State, the subject matter of this Petition.
“Similarly, the 5th and 6th Respondents, although not duly sponsored and not qualified, contested along with the 1th Petitioner and others for the office of Governor of Lagos State, the subject matter of this Petition.
“The 1st Respondent, upon the conclusion of the Election, declared the 2nd Respondent who was not properly sponsored by the 4th Respondent as the winner of the Election to the office of Governor of Lagos State.
“The 5th Respondent who was similarly not properly sponsored by the 6th Respondent, was declared by the 1th Respondent as having scored the second highest number of votes at the Election to the office of Governor of Lagos State,” the petition read in part.
The petitioners said that the petition bothered on four grounds of non-compliance warranting disqualification of Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat declared as the winner of the election by INEC.
Adediran and PDP added that the petition also bothered on another four grounds of non-compliance warranting disqualification of Rhodes-Vivour who was declared to have scored the second-highest number of votes in the election.
The petitioners said that APC did not comply with the INEC Time Table and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election which stipulated that all political parties must give 21 days notice to INEC before the conduct of the primary election.
They added that such notice must emanate from the national office of the political party and signed by its National Chairman and National Secretary.
“Contrary to this provision, the Lagos state chapter of the APC through her letter dated 24th May 2022 notified the State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the party primary election held on 26th May 2022., with details of venue of the said primary.
“The notification from the state chapter of APC was therefore invalid, null and void according to the Electoral Act 2022,” it read in part.
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