Tension mounts as Lagos Governorship Election Tribunal set to announce verdict

Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is set to deliver its judgment regarding the election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu today, leading to a palpable sense of tension among the political stakeholders. The presiding panel, led by Justice Arum Ashom, conveyed this crucial announcement to all concerned parties on the preceding Saturday.

The electoral dispute stems from the March 18 governorship election, where the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, contested the victory of Sanwo-Olu. The legal proceedings reached a critical juncture on August 12, as lawyers representing the respective parties presented their final written arguments before the tribunal.

In the original election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Sanwo-Olu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the victor. Governor Sanwo-Olu emerged triumphant with a significant lead, surpassing Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party, who secured the second position. The electoral results illustrated Sanwo-Olu’s dominance, as he garnered 762,134 votes, compared to Rhodes-Vivour’s 312,329 votes. Meanwhile, Jide Adediran (Jandor) of the PDP secured a distant third place, accumulating 62,449 votes.