Lagos Guber: PDP lists grounds for APC, LP candidates disqualification, accuses Sanwo-Olu of possessing fake WAEC result

The People’s Democratic Party and its 2023 governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adeniran also known as Jandor, have filed a petition at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal of Lagos State accusing the governor-elect of the All-Progressives Congress, APC, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of possessing fake West African Examination Council, WAEC, result.

The petitioner which also adduced reasons for the disqualification of the APC governorship running mate, Obafemi Hamzat, joined the Labour Party and its candidate in the election, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour in the petition.

The petitioner accused the Labour Party candidate of dual-party membership as at the time he sought election into the office as governor of Lagos State.

Listed as first respondent is the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, while Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, APC, Rhodes-Vivour and Labor Party are listed as 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th respondents respectively according to the tribunal document seen by our correspondent.

According to the petitioners, the outcome of the March 18 governorship election left much to be desired following substantial non-compliance with extant laws and subsidiary legislations with respect to the guidelines of INEC towards the conduct of the election.

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In the petition marked EPT/LAG/GOV/01/2023 and dated April 7, the PDP argued that as at the time of the election, the 2nd, 3rd and 5th respondents were not qualified to stand as candidates and should therefore be disqualified.

The PDP said in its petition that, “The 2nd and 3rd Respondents, although not duly sponsored and not qualified, contested along with the 1st Petitioner and others for the office of Governor of Lagos State, the subject matter of this Petition.

“Similarly, the 5th and 6th Respondents, although not duly sponsored and not qualified, contested along with the 1st Petitioner and others for the office of Governor of Lagos State, the subject matter of this Petition.

“The 1st Respondent, upon the conclusion of the Election, declared the 2nd Respondent who was not properly sponsored by the 4th Respondent as the winner of the Election to the office of Governor of Lagos State.

“The 5th Respondent who was similarly not properly sponsored by the 6th Respondent was declared by the 1st Respondent as having scored the second highest number of votes at the Election to the office of Governor of Lagos State,” the PDP said in its period.

It therefore pointed out that, “Contrary to this provision, the Lagos state chapter of the APC through her letter dated 24th May 2022 notified the State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the party primary election held on 26th May 2022, with details of the venue of the said primary.

“The notification from the state chapter of APC was therefore invalid, null and void according to the Electoral Act 2022,” it declared.

As a matter of fraud warranting disqualification, the petitioner wrote that, “It was then discovered that a Statement of Result issued by Ijebu Ife Community Grammar School, Ijebu-Ife for May/June 1981 GCE O’ Level Examination with examination number 17624/118 which he submitted for his first term election as governor of the state was not confirmed by WAEC.

“When JANDOR and PDP approached WAEC for confirmation, they were directed to purchase the scratch card for verification of the WAEC result scratch card, which then confirmed the results as not emanating from WAEC; it came back to be a fake result,” the PDP stated in its petition.

Accusing the Labor Party candidate of being a member of the PDP before picking the Labour Party governorship forms for the election, the petitioner argued that, “This makes his nomination invalid.

“Furthermore, Rhodes-Vivour was still a member of PDP as of June 18, 2022 when he claimed, again under oath, to have registered as a member of the Labor Party.

“Documentary evidence and newspaper report establishing his participation in the screening exercise for the running mate to the governorship candidate of the Lagos PDP, Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (JANDOR), on June 22, 2022, was provided in the petition,” the PDP wrote in the petition.

Consequently, “In line with the provision of the Electoral Act, the candidate for the office of Governor of Lagos State is not allowed to be a member of more than one political party at the time of being sponsored as a candidate for the general election, therefore his nomination is invalid.”

Recalls that INEC had declared Sanwo-Olu the winner of the election polling 762,134 votes, to defeat Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party who scored 312,329 votes.

Abdul-Azeez Adediran of the PDP came third according to INEC with 62,449 votes.

The WHISTLER