-Says Rhodes-Vivour’s appeal lacks merit
By Samuel Ogunsona
The apex court on Friday has affirmed Sanwo-Olu’s victory as Lagos state duely elected governor.
The court with a five-member panel led by Justice Inyang Okoro dismissed the appeal brought by the candidate of the Labour Party,( LP) Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Abdulazeez Adediran.
The court said yhe appeal lacks merit.
The LP candidate, Rhodes-Vivour, prayed to the court to disqualify All Progressive Congress Candidate, Olusola Sanwo-Olu.
He argues that he was not qualified to contest the 2023 Lagos election considering his running mate , Obafemi Hamzat that he claimed had dual citizenship.
Mr Gbadebo alleged that the Deputy Governor of Lagos state has a citizenship of the United States of America which makes him constitutionally ineligible to contest the election.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the All Progressive Party urged the court to dismiss Gbadebo’s appeal for incompetency.
In the judgement delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, the Supreme Court said there was no evidence that Sanwo-Olu’s deputy denounced his Nigerian citizenship.
It held that the prohibitions in Section 28 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, was not applicable to a person that is a Nigerian citizen by birth.
The Supreme Court had said there is no law that strips Nigeria citizens from enjoying his/her status and rights to the acquisition of the citizenship of another country through naturalization.
Therefore, dismissed Rhodes-Vivour’s appeal as lacking in merit.