The Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor), have petitioned the Lagos governorship election petitions tribunal to disqualify Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and annul his governorship victory over Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor).
During his first-term governorship candidacy, he allegedly submitted a forged exam result to INEC.
Mr Adediran and the PDP claimed that Mr Sanwo-Olu failed to attach a copy of the GCE O’Level result he claimed to have obtained in 1981 with his form EC9, as required by the Electoral Act 2022, and that “this development sparked a curiosity, with Adediran and the PDP applying for Governor Sanwo-CTC Olu’s 2019 from CF001.”
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The petition explained, “It was then discovered that a statement of result issued by Ijebu Ife Community Grammar School, Ijebu-Ife for May/June 1981 GCE O’Level examination with examination number 17624/118, which he submitted for his first term election as governor of the state was not confirmed by WAEC. When JANDOR and PDP approached WAEC for confirmation, they were directed to purchase the scratch card for verification of the WAEC result scratch card, which then confirmed the results as not emanating from WAEC. It came back to be a fake result.”
The party and Mr Adediran want the All Progressives Congress and Labour Party candidates in the election disqualified for violating the Electoral Act 2022.
The petitioners contested the outcome of the March 18 governorship election in the petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/01/2023, dated April 7, on the basis of substantial non-compliance with electoral law and the Independent National Election Commission instructions.
Although INEC is the first respondent, Mr Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, the All Progressives Congress, Labour’s candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the Labour Party are the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth respondents, respectively.
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“The second and third respondents, although not duly sponsored and not qualified, contested along with the first petitioner and others for the office of governor of Lagos state, the subject matter of this petition. Similarly, the fifth and sixth respondents, although not duly sponsored and not qualified, contested, along with the first petitioner and others the office of governor of Lagos state, the subject matter of this petition,” said PDP and its gubernatorial flag bearer.
The petitioners added, “The first respondent, upon the conclusion of the election, declared the second respondent, who was not properly sponsored by the fourth respondent, as the winner of the election to the office of governor of Lagos state. The fifth respondent, who was similarly not properly sponsored by the sixth respondent, was declared by the first respondent as having scored the second highest number of votes at the election to the office of Governor of Lagos State,” the petition explained.
The petitioners further stated that the petition was based on four grounds of non-compliance that warranted the disqualification of Messrs Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, who were proclaimed the election winners by INEC.
Mr Adediran and the PDP also stated that the petition raised four more grounds for disqualification of Mr Rhodes-Vivour, who was adjudged to have received the second-highest number of votes in the election.
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The petitioners claimed that the APC did not follow the ‘INEC Time Table and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election,’ which stated that all political parties must provide INEC 21 days’ notice before holding the primary election.
They noted that such notice must come from the political party’s national headquarters and be signed by the party’s national chairperson and national secretary.
“Contrary to this provision, the Lagos state chapter of the APC, through her letter dated 24th May 2022 notified the state resident electoral commissioner of the party primary election held on 26th May 2022, with details of the venue of the said primary. The notification from the state chapter of APC was therefore invalid, null and void according to the Electoral Act 2022,” the petition stated.
The petitioners added that the APC also failed to comply with the requirement of the Electoral Act 2022 that every political party sponsoring a candidate in the general election should submit the nomination form of such candidate(s) not later than 180 days before the conduct of the general election in forms EC9.
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The petitioners also cited the omission of the oath page in Form EC9 for the third respondent, (Mr Hamzat), which would have shown that it was not endorsed by the commissioner for oath within the time prescribed by the Electoral Law 2022 and without the oath page, the entire form EC9 and the information therein are worthless.
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