In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court on Friday confirmed Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the rightful Governor of Lagos State, putting an end to the legal challenges mounted by his opponents.
The apex court, presided by Justice Garba Lawal, dismissed the appeal of the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who had sought to nullify Sanwo-Olu’s election on the grounds of alleged irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The court also rejected the appeal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Abdulazeez Adediran, who had accused Sanwo-Olu of presenting a false declaration of his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, as well as other electoral malpractices.
Sanwo-Olu, who had earlier urged the court to uphold his victory at the February 25 governorship election, expressed his gratitude to the judiciary for delivering a fair and just verdict. He also thanked his supporters and the people of Lagos for their trust and confidence in his administration.
His counsel, Nas Ogunsakin, argued that the appellants failed to prove their allegations with credible evidence and that the witnesses they brought were incompetent and unreliable.
What does this ruling mean for the future of Lagos State? How will Sanwo-Olu tackle the pressing issues facing the megacity? How will the opposition parties react to this outcome? These are some of the questions that will be on the minds of many Lagosians as they await the next steps of their governor.
