Supreme Court Upholds Sanwo-Olu’s Victory in Lagos Governorship Election
The Supreme Court has upheld the victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the March 2023 governorship election in Lagos State, dismissing separate appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, along with their respective governorship candidates.
The appeals were lodged by Abdul-Azeez Adediran (popularly known as Jandor) of the PDP and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party, who contested the election results based on their argument that Sanwo-Olu’s nomination was invalid due to his running mate, Obafemi Hamzat, holding dual citizenship of Nigeria and the United States.
In delivering the judgement on the Labour Party’s appeal, Justice Lawal Garba stated that according to section 177 of the Nigerian constitution, a citizen by birth who is at least 35 years old and holds a school certificate is eligible to run for the office of governor in Nigeria. He emphasized that holding citizenship of another country does not strip a Nigerian by birth of their citizenship or disqualify them from contesting elections in Nigeria.
The panel unanimously agreed with this decision. Justice Emmanuel Agim, in his concurring opinion, asserted that the deputy governor’s allegiance to the United States does not negate his right to vie for elective office in Nigeria as a citizen by birth.
Regarding the PDP’s appeal, Justice Adamu Jauro noted that while the election petition tribunal failed to determine the merit of the party’s petition, the Supreme Court could not intervene due to the expiration of the 180-day time frame within which election petitions must be determined.
This ruling by the Supreme Court marks the conclusion of legal challenges against Governor Sanwo-Olu’s victory, affirming his position as the rightful governor of Lagos State.
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