Lagos guber petition: Rhodes-Vivour closes case against Sanwo-Olu

Lagos guber petition: Rhodes-Vivour closes case against Sanwo-Olu

The 2023 Lagos State Labour Party (LP) governorship
candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, on Tuesday, closed his case against the
victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the March 18 election.

 

Rhodes-Vivour is also challenging the eligibility of the
Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hazmat, to contest on the grounds that
he allegedly renounced his Nigerian citizenship and swore allegiance to the
United States of America.

 

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday before the governorship
election petition tribunal, Mr Idowu Benson, the petitioner’s counsel, told the
three-justice tribunal headed by Arum Ashom that the petitioner was closing his
case.

 

Ten witnesses had testified in the petition of the Labour
Party candidate.

 

The counsel also tendered a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the
INEC Form EC9 – an affidavit containing the particulars of a candidate – which
was hand-filled by Hamzat and had been front-loaded by the counsel for the
fourth respondent, All Progressives Congress (APC), before the tribunal.

 

All the counsel for the four respondents objected to the
admissibility of the document tendered by the petitioner.

 

The tribunal, however, admitted the document into evidence
and marked it as Exhibit PE713.

 

The APC counsel, Mr Noris Quakers (SAN), said the CTC
tendered by the petitioner was warehoused by the first respondent and did not
form a part of the court records.

 

“It’s not a document before this tribunal.

 

“It’s only a document signed by the Independent National
Electoral Commission that can be tendered.

 

“We will further argue on why this document should not be
admitted in the final written address,” he said.

 

The INEC counsel, Mr Eric Obigor, told the tribunal that he
would pick a date to open their defence while commending the petitioner for
closing his case.

 

The tribunal ordered that the first respondent should open
his case on the next adjourned date, but he prayed to the court for more time
to put his house in order.

 

On his part, Counsel to Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, Mr Bode
Olanipekun (SAN), also commended the petitioner for closing its case, while
stating that they should have taken the wise retreat earlier.

 

NAN reports that the proceedings were stalled on Monday due
to health reasons of the LP witness.

 

The tribunal, however, adjourned until July 5 for INEC to
open its defence. 

Source: Lagos guber petition: Rhodes-Vivour closes case against Sanwo-Olu

 - NigerianEye
Invest in US dollars: https://hashflare.io/r/CF2F6691