The Lagos State National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal recently sat to address a series of applications brought forth by petitioners in relation to the 2023 elections, which were held on February 25th and March 11th.
Channels Television’s judiciary correspondent, Shola Soyele, who visited the secretariat of the Rosaline Omotoso Courthouse located in the Ikeja area, reported that out of the 8 applications, 2 were for substituted service, 3 were for inspection of INEC materials, and another 3 were seeking to withdraw their petitions due to being filed out of time.
Notably, the tribunal, which is responsible for hearing petitions regarding the Governorship elections in Lagos State, did not convene during the recent sitting.
Our correspondent discovered that the lawyers representing the governor had not been served with the various petitions that were filed.
It should be recalled that a total of 4 petitions have been filed challenging the return of Gov. Babajide SanwoOlu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat.
The petitioners include the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, as well as the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who filed as the sole petitioner.
Additionally, the Allied People’s Movement (APM) and the Action People’s Party (APP) have also filed petitions.
In response, Gov. SanwoOlu has taken action by assembling a formidable legal team, which includes 4 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) and several other experienced lawyers.
The Governor’s legal team is led by Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN) and includes Adesegun Ajibola (SAN), Norrison Quakers (SAN), and Babatunde Ogala (SAN).
As the petitioners and respondents prepare to present their cases, all eyes are on the Lagos State Election Petition Tribunal as it navigates through the applications and petitions in what is expected to be a closely watched legal process.
The outcome of these proceedings will undoubtedly have significant implications for the political landscape of Lagos State and the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Nigeria.
