The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, congratulated Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Friday’s judgment of the Supreme Court which affirmed him as the winner of the 2023 governorship election in Lagos.
The Supreme Court earlier on Friday affirmed the election of Sanwo-Olu, which was earlier upheld by the tribunal and Appeal Court in the state.
The Labour Party candidate in the election, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, had in his appeal claimed that Sanwo-Olu’s running mate, Obafemi Hamzat, had renounced his citizenship as a Nigerian.
The apex court held that Sanwo-Olu’s deputy is a Nigerian by birth, noting that renunciation of citizenship of a citizen by birth must be registered by the Nigerian President, adding that the appellant did not provide any evidence to that effect.
The court, therefore, dismissed the appeal by the Labour Party candidate for lacking in merit.
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the election, Abdulazeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, contended that the name Sanwo-Olu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission was different from that contained in his West Africa Examination Council certificate.
Dismissing Adediran’s appeal, the Supreme Court described it as “academic.”
The dismissal of the appeal and that of the Labour Party means that Sanwo-Olu is the duly elected governor of Lagos state.
Obasa, in a congratulatory message issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Eromosele Ebhomele, said the judgment by the apex court was a further affirmation that the All Progressives Congress had the support of Lagos residents as reflected in the governorship and House of Assembly elections in 2023.
“With the election battle now put to rest by the Supreme Court, I join millions of our supporters to congratulate our amiable governor and deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat.
“It is a victory well-deserved as the Supreme Court has now proven the Election Petition Tribunal and the Appeal Court right concerning their earlier rulings in favour of Governor Sanwo-Olu.
“On behalf of my colleagues at the Lagos State House of Assembly, I also congratulate our party, its leadership, members and supporters for all the efforts they put into the electioneering just as I urge other contenders in the election to join hands with the current administration and support its policies to make Lagos greater,” Obasa said.
