Election tribunal: Sanwo-Olu opens, closes defence after one witness

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, on Monday, opened and closed defence in an election petition brought against them by the Labour Party, LP, and its Governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

The LP and Rhodes-Vivour are challenging the victory of Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat in the March 18 governorship poll.

They are also challenging the eligibility of Hamzat to contest the election.

They claimed he renounced his Nigerian citizenship and pledged allegiance to the U.S.

He tendered before the tribunal some documents, including Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Form EC9 containing Hamzat’s full personal information and the oath he signed on his nomination form.

The forms include “Summary of Result from Registration Areas, “Summary of Results from Local Government Areas,” and” Declaration of Result”.

Led in evidence by APC’s lead counsel, Mr Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), Ade-Oki told the tribunal that he witnessed when Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat were filling the INEC Form EC9 containing their personal information as well as oaths they took on their nomination forms.

He said that the oaths were taken at the Ikeja High Court Registry.

He also testified that Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat paid the prescribed fee for the nomination forms and signed their oaths.

“The two documents with no 003960120 and 00408841 contained the same facts and reflected the same receipt number,” he said.

The witness, after that, tendered in evidence through APC’s counsel the oath declaration page of Form EC9 and the receipts.

However, LP counsel, Mr Idowu Benson, objected to their admissibility.

Benson said he would reserve his reasons until his final address to the tribunal.

The tribunal led by Justice Arum Ashom admitted the documents provisionally pending when it would hear objections.

After Ade-Oki’s testimony, the tribunal discharged him.

Banire then announced that Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat would be closing their case.