The People’s Democratic Party and its gubernatorial candidate Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor) have filed a petition in the Lagos Governor’s Petitions Court to disqualify Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over falsifying GCE results. The allegedly falsified GCE result was presented to INEC during the first term gubernatorial bid.
Mr Adediran and PDP alleged that Mr Sanwo-Olu failed to attach a copy of the GCE O’Level result. Even though he claimed to obtain it in 1981 along with his form EC9 as required by the Electoral Act 2022. He stressed that-
“this development sparked a curiosity, with Adediran and PDP applying for the CTC of Governor Sanwo-Olu 2019 from CF001.”
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 asks the tribunal to disqualify the All Progressive Congress and the Labour candidate from the election. They are saying both candidates failed to comply with the 2022 election law of INEC.
In the petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/01/2023 dated April 7, the petitioners challenged the outcome of the March 18 governorship election. The grounds of which are substantial non-compliance with the electoral law and the INEC guidelines.
INEC is the first defendant, while Mr Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, APC, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour candidate, were the second, third and fourth, fifth and sixth defendants. Additionally, they claim that at the time of the guber-election, Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, and Rhodes-Vivour were ineligible to compete.
Petitioners, therefore, pray that all votes cast in the election be declared void.
“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 also mentioned that the petition borders on four grounds of non-compliance. All of these warrant the disqualification of Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, the declared winners of the election by INEC.
They also added that the petition also bordered on another four grounds of non-compliance warranting disqualification of Mr Rhodes-Vivour. Rhodes was stated to have scored the second-highest number of votes in the past election.
The petitioners said APC did not comply with the ‘INEC Time Table and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election’. The timetable stipulated that all political parties must give 21 days’ notice to INEC before conducting the primary election.
They added that such notice must emanate from the national office of the political party. It must also be signed by its national chairman 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 condition 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.
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 confirmed by the commissioner for oath within the time given by the Electoral Law 2022 and without the oath page, the entire form EC9 and the information therein are worthless.
