Lagos LP candidate, Rhodes-Vivour closes case against Sanwo-Olu

The Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, on Tuesday, closed his case in the petition challenging Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s victory in the March 18 election at the state election petition tribunal.

The LP candidate is also challenging the eligibility of the state deputy governor, Obafemi Hazmat, for the election on the grounds that he allegedly renounced his Nigerian citizenship and swore allegiance to the United States.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, the petitioner’s counsel, Mr. Idowu Benson, informed the tribunal headed by Arum Ashom that the petitioner was closing his case.

At least 10 witnesses had testified in the LP candidate’s petition.

The counsel also tendered a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the INEC Form EC9 – an affidavit containing the particulars of a candidate – which was hand-filled by Hamzat and had been front-loaded by the counsel for the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the tribunal.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and APC were also listed as respondents in the case.

All the counsel for the four respondents objected to the admissibility of the document tendered by the petitioner.

READ ALSO: Absence of witness stalls hearing of LP candidate, Rhodes-Vivour’s petition against Sanwo-Olu

The tribunal, however, admitted the document as evidence and marked it as Exhibit PE713.

The APC counsel, Mr. Noris Quakers (SAN), said the CTC tendered by the petitioner was warehoused by the first respondent and did not form a part of the court records.

He said: “It is not a document before this tribunal.

“It is only a document signed by the Independent National Electoral Commission that can be tendered.

“We will further argue on why this document should not be admitted in the final written address.”

The INEC counsel, Mr. Eric Obigor, informed the tribunal that he would pick a date to open their defence while commending the petitioner for closing his case.

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