The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Lagos State, has granted leave to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP’s candidate, Dr. Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, for a substituted service of an election petition on Governor, Babajide SanwoOlu of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The tribunal also held that Adediran should do same to the Labour Party, LP’s candidate, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
Respondents in the petition with No. EPT/LAG/GOV/01/2023 are the Independent National Electoral Commission, NEC, Governor SanwoOlu, Deputy Governor, Dr Hamzat Obafemi; the APC, Rhodes-Vivour and the LP.
Adediran and his party, the PDP, through their Counsel, Mr. Austin Akpomreta, had told the tribunal that he was unable to effect personal service of the petition on Governor SanwoOlu, his Deputy, and Rhodes-Vivour.
He said the respondents were not physically present to receive the Court process.
Adediran however prayed the Court to grant him leave to serve the petition and other processes on the Governor and his deputy through any officer or the Secretary of the APC in its Lagos State Secretariat at No. 151, Acme Road, Ikeja.
He also urged the Court to grant him leave to serve the petition and other processes on Rhodes-Vivour through any officer or Secretary of the LP in its Lagos State Secretariat at No. 59, Oduduwa Way, GRA, Lagos.
The tribunal granted all the reliefs.
Adediran and the PDP, in the petition, claimed that SanwoOlu and his Deputy, Hamzat, were at the time of the election not qualified to contest the poll.
Adediran and his party also submitted that Rhodes-Vivour, declared by INEC to have scored the second highest number of votes at the February 25 governorship election, was at the time of the election also not qualified to contest the poll.
The PDP governorship candidate called for the disqualification of SanwoOlu and Rhodes-Vivour in the election for non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s guidelines.
Adediran and the PDP are also requesting that all votes cast for the two candidates in the election be declared a waste.