Election Petition Tribunal Dismisses Petitions Against Sanwo-Olu, Deputy As Opposing Parties Pull Out

The Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday dismissed the peti­tions filed against the election of Governor Babajide San­wo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat....CONTINUE READING

Chairman of the 3-man tribunal, Justice Arum Igyem Ashom, dismissed the petition following its withdrawal by the parties, Allied Peoples Move­ment (APM) and Action Peoples Party (APP). Other members of the tribunal are Justice Mikail Abdullahi and Justice Igho P. Braimoh…..CONTINUE READING

During proceedings, counsels to the two parties, Henry Bello and Francis Ese for APM and APP respectively, told the tribu­nal that their clients had decided to withdraw the petitions.

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

The parties had argued in their separate petitions that San­wo-Olu and his deputy Hamzat were not qualified to contest the election.

They had also argued that INEC failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.

When the petition came up for hearing, the lawyer to APM, Bello, informed the tribunal that the motion for withdrawal of their petition was premised on four grounds and supported by two affidavits deposed to by the party’s National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle.

He said, “Our candidate has lost interest in the petition and has proceeded to congratulate the second respondent.

We urge the tribunal to strike out this petition.

Counsel to APP, Ese also told the tribunal that he had the di­rective of the Chairman of the party, Chief Okey Nwosu, to withdraw the petition.

In his response, John Bai­yeshe (SAN), who represented INEC in the APM petition, did not oppose the motion, but urged the court to dismiss it, not strike it out, because parties have joined issues.

Counsel to Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat, Ayuba Kawu, and that of the APC, Abiodun Owon­ikoko (SAN), did not oppose the motions for withdrawal of the petition.

They also aligned themselves with Baiyeshe’s argument that the petition be dismissed.

“We have no objection to the application and no agree­ment or undertaking about the withdrawal of the petition. We align that the appropriate order to make is a dismissal”, Owon­ikoko said…..CONTINUE READING