The Supreme Court has upheld the victory of Babajide Sanwo-Olu from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the gubernatorial election for Lagos State, dismissing appeals from the Labour Party (LP) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The unanimous judgment, delivered by Justices Lawal Garba and Adamu Jauro, solidified the APC candidate’s win in the March 18, 2023 election. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the LP, who secured the second position, and Abdulazeez Adediran (Jandor) of the PDP, who came third, had both contested Sanwo-Olu’s victory citing alleged irregularities, malpractices, non-compliance, and non-qualification.
The LP and PDP candidates specifically challenged the eligibility of the Deputy Governor, who had acquired U.S. citizenship, arguing that this made him unqualified for the elective position.
They contended that the nomination of the Deputy Governor was unlawful and void, impacting Sanwo-Olu’s qualification. Both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal had previously dismissed these appeals, citing a lack of evidence to substantiate the allegations made in the petitions.
In its judgment, the Supreme Court affirmed the decisions of the lower courts, stating that there was no compelling reason to deviate from their findings.
The court emphasized that the acquisition of dual citizenship does not disqualify a citizen by birth from contesting elections. Justice Lawal clarified that the only circumstance under which a citizen with dual citizenship could lose the right to be elected governor is by denouncing Nigerian citizenship by birth.
Consequently, the apex court dismissed the appeals filed by Rhodes-Vivour and Jandor, deeming them lacking in merit. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu emerged victorious with 762,134 votes, securing a considerable lead over his closest rival, Rhodes-Vivour, who garnered 312,329 votes, while Jandor trailed behind with 62,449 votes.
