The Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal witnessed a significant development on Tuesday as Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party (LP)’s candidate for the 2023 governorship race, officially closed his case.
Rhodes-Vivour’s legal challenge is aimed at questioning the victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the March 18 governorship election.
In a daring move, Rhodes-Vivour also raised concerns about the eligibility of Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat to contest the election. The LP candidate alleged that Hamzat had renounced his Nigerian citizenship and pledged allegiance to the United States of America.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel, Idowu Benson, informed the three-man tribunal led by Justice Arum Ashom about the decision to conclude their case. A total of ten witnesses had previously testified on behalf of the LP candidate.
Benson also submitted a Certified True Copy of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s Form EC9. The document, which contained the candidate’s particulars, was hand-filled by Hamzat and had already been presented to the tribunal by the counsel for the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the 4th respondent.
However, objections were raised by the counsels representing all four respondents to the admissibility of the document presented by the petitioner.
Norrison Quakers (SAN), who represented the APC, argued that the CTC tendered by the petitioner was not part of the court records and had only been stored by INEC. He further stated, “It is not a document before this tribunal, it is only a document signed by INEC that can be tendered. We will further argue on why this document should not be admitted in our final written address.”
After carefully considering the objections raised by the respondents, Justice Ashon ruled in favor of admitting the document as evidence and marked it as exhibit PE713.
Following the closure of the petitioner’s case, Eric Ogiegor, the counsel for the first respondent (INEC), requested a date to present their defense. He acknowledged the unexpected decision of the petitioner to conclude its case and commended their action.
Bode Olanipekun (SAN), representing Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, also expressed appreciation for the petitioner’s decision to close its case, suggesting that it would have been a wise retreat if done earlier.
The tribunal subsequently adjourned the proceedings until July 5, 2023, when INEC will have the opportunity to present its defense.
The outcome of this landmark case will undoubtedly have far-reaching implications for the political landscape of Lagos State and its residents.
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