Real reason Supreme Court refused to sack Gov Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos

The Supreme Court affirmed Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the duly elected Governor of Lagos State.

Justice Garba Lawal, leading the judgment, dismissed the appeal lodged by the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

Governor Sanwo-Olu had previously urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeals challenging his victory in the February 25 governorship election. Rhodes-Vivour, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Abdulazeez Adediran, sought to contest Sanwo-Olu’s triumph.

The Labour Party had urged the apex court to declare the March 18 election as fraught with irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act. They further claimed that Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat was ineligible to participate in the election.

Similarly, Adediran submitted 34 grounds of appeal, seeking the Supreme Court to overturn the decisions of the Lagos State Governorship Election Tribunal and the Court of Appeal.

Counsel to Sanwo-Olu, Nas Ogunsakin, argued before the court that the applicants failed to provide evidence supporting their allegations, and the witnesses they presented were deemed incompetent. With the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the appeals, Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s victory in the Lagos State governorship election stands affirmed.