The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Inyang Okoro, has affirmed the election victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in Lagos State.
The apex court dismissed two separate appeals challenging his return as the winner of the governorship election held on March 18, describing them as lacking in merit.
The appeals were brought before the court by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP) and Abdulazeez Adediran (Jandor) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Rhodes-Vivour and the LP sought the court’s determination on whether Sanwo-Olu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was qualified to contest the election due to allegations that his deputy and running mate, Obafemi Hamzat, held dual citizenship with the United States of America.
The appellants argued that since Hamzat, by acquiring U.S. citizenship, was constitutionally ineligible to contest, it invalidated Sanwo-Olu’s candidature.
However, the respondents, including INEC, Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, and the APC, urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal for lack of competence.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, the Supreme Court ruled that there was no evidence supporting the claim that Sanwo-Olu’s deputy denounced his Nigerian citizenship.
It emphasized that the prohibitions in Section 28 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, did not apply to a person who is a Nigerian citizen by birth.
The court held that there is no law preventing a Nigerian citizen by birth from enjoying their status, rights, and privileges despite acquiring the citizenship of another country through naturalization.
It affirmed the decisions of the Lagos State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, stating that Sanwo-Olu and his deputy were not disqualified from contesting the governorship election.
As a result, the Supreme Court dismissed Rhodes-Vivour’s appeal, declaring it lacking in merit and upholding the legitimacy of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s election victory in Lagos State.
