Supreme Court Upholds Sanwo-Olu's Victory as Lagos State Governor
The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the Governor of Lagos State, reinforcing the decisions of the tribunal and the Appeal Court in the state.
The case brought forward by the Labour Party candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, focused on the qualification of Sanwo-Olu's running mate, claiming that the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, had renounced his Nigerian citizenship. The Supreme Court ruled that Sanwo-Olu's deputy is indeed a Nigerian by birth. The court emphasized that the renunciation of citizenship by birth must be officially registered by the Nigerian president, and the appellant failed to provide evidence of such registration.
The court dismissed the appeal by the Labour Party candidate, deeming it lacking in merit. Another contention was raised by Abdulazeez Adediran, also known as Jandor, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who argued that the name Sanwo-Olu submitted to INEC differed from that on his WAEC certificate. The Supreme Court, while dismissing this appeal, referred to it as "academic."
With the dismissal of both appeals, it is affirmed that Sanwo-Olu is the duly elected governor of Lagos state.