The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
His victory was upheld by the tribunal and Appeal Court in the state.
The kernel of the case of the Labour Party candidate in the election, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, is on Sanwo-Olu’s running mate qualification.
He claimed that the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, had renounced his citizenship as a Nigerian.
The court held that Sanwo-Olu’s deputy is a Nigerian by birth.
The court added that renouncation of citizenship of a citizen by birth must be registered by the Nigerian president, adding that the appellant did not provide evidence to that effect.
The court, however, dismissed the appeal by the Labour Party Candidate for lacking in merit.
Abdulazeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, of the PDP on his part, contended that the name Sanwo-Olu submitted to INEC was different from that contained in his WAEC certificate.
Altogether, the apex court was expected to deliver its judgments over the governorship election’s disputes in eight states including Lagos, Plateau, Bauchi, Kano, Abia, Ebonyi, Zamfara, and Cross River.
Four of the Governors had arrived at the Supreme Court preparatory to the commencement of the court proceedings for the day.
The governors are Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Abba Yusuf of Kano State, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State.
Also in court is the immediate past Governor of Plateau State, Senator Simon Lalong.
Ahead of the sitting, security was beefed up around the Supreme Court Complex in the three arms zones of Abuja.
The court began sitting by 9 a.m.
NAN reports that Judgments in the Kano and Plateau appeals are the most anticipated because the lower courts had sacked the incumbent governors.
It observed that security operatives from regular and plain-clothed police units have been deployed to the Court’s main entrance to block unauthorised movements of humans and vehicles into the complex premises.
Though only lawyers and parties involved in the matter were permitted, hundreds of supporters of the parties could be seen trying to gain access to the premises.
Also, the agency reports that journalists were having difficulty finding their way into the court premises.
Kano state governor, AbbaYusuf, and his party NNPP, had filed an appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had affirmed his sacking as earlier pronounced by the Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
The tribunal had sacked Yusuf and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw his certificate of return and instead issue the same to to Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 18, 2023 governorship election.
However, not satisfied with the Tribunal’s judgment, Yusuf approached the Appeal Court. But the appellate court had while affirming his sack, further held that the governor was not a member of the party as of the time of the election and could not have been said to have been properly sponsored for the election.
NAN also reports that for Plateau, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang’s election was upheld by the Plateau State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Jos but the appeal court overturned his victory and declared Nentawe Goshwe of the APC the winner of the election.
The court ruled that the failure of the PDP to comply with the order of the Plateau State High Court in Jos directing it to conduct valid ward, local governments, and state congress.
