In a pivotal decision on Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the election of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the duly elected Governor of Lagos State. Justice Garba Lawal, delivering the lead judgment, dismissed the appeal filed by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP).
The apex court affirmed the eligibility of Obafemi Hamzat, the deputy governor of Lagos, to contest the March 18, 2023, governorship election, rejecting challenges against his candidacy.
The judgment centered on the appeal brought by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the LP governorship candidate for Lagos State, challenging Governor Sanwo-Olu’s election victory. Sanwo-Olu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured his second term in office through the March 18, 2023, election.
Previously, both the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal had ruled in favor of Governor Sanwo-Olu in the case initiated by Rhodes-Vivour.
Apart from the Labour Party’s appeal, the Supreme Court also dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Azeez Olajide Adeniran (Jandor). Justice Adamu Jahiro, reading the lead judgment, deemed the appeal academic and lacking in merit, resulting in its dismissal.
