Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat Close Defence In Rhodes-Vivour’s Petition

The Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy Obafemi Hamzat yesterday closed their defence to the petition filed by the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, seeking to nullify their election before the state’s Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat closed their case after calling only one witness, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Fuad Oki, to challenge the case of the Labour Party candidate for the March 18 governorship poll.

Rhodes-Vivour, in his petition, is asking the Tribunal to nullify the election because the governor and his deputy did not qualify to contest the election and they did not score the highest lawful votes cast during the election.

Other respondents to the petition are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

At the resumed hearing of the petition yesterday, Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, through their lawyer, Muiz Banire (SAN), tendered some documents to show that the deputy governor filled out the INEC form EC9 which contains personal information as well as the Oath that was taken on the nomination form.

The documents, which were tendered through Oki, also contained the true certified copies of INEC form EC8C titled: Summary of result from registration areas, collation at local government area levels, a copy of form EC8D titled: Summary of results from local government areas collation at State Level and also, a copy of form EC8E titled: Declaration of the result.

In his oral testimony, the witness informed the Tribunal, headed by Justice Arum Ashom that he witnessed when Hamzat filled the INEC form EC9 and that the oath was taken at the Lagos State High Court registry in Ikeja.

Oki, also confirmed that the electrified true copy of the oath page of the third respondent indicating the receipt tendered by the petitioner and the declaration of path receipt rendered by the fourth respondent’s counsel, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN) contained the same content and reflect the same receipt number.