LAGOS GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION TRIBUNAL: SANWO-OLU SET TO OPEN DEFENSE IN LP’S PETITION
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu and his deputy Obafemi Hamzat, will on Monday 10th of July open their defense in the petition filed against them by the Labour Party Governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, in the ongoing election tribunal.
Earlier, when the hearing resumed before the three-member tribunal led by Justice Arum Ashom, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had closed its defense with no witness.
The lead counsel for INEC, Sam Edosomwan , (SAN), told the tribunal that haven tendered all needed documents and evidences, he had concluded on a no case submission.
He stated that no case has been made by the petitioner to warrant him to present any further witness in the case as it would be a total waste of time
He said, “I don’t think we intend to waste your lordships time any further but upon a very fair reflection of the evidence so far, we have cone to the journey with the greatest respect to our petitioner, that no case has been made that warrants us to bring in a witness.
We have tendered documents and we have also filed our counter evidence.
We are here to close our case as we do not intend to call any witness. The first respondent rests.”
Meanwhile, counsel to the second and third respondent, Bode Olanipekun, assured the tribunal that on the next adjourned date, he would present a witness for his defense.
He also prayed the court to grant him some time in order to get some documents which he had been trying to get from INEC prior to the time.
“Ordinarily, I should do the same because, there is no basis for us to respond. But we’ll be bringing one single witness.
The tribunal after much deliberation and arguments, adjourned the matter till Monday, 10th July, 2023 for the second and third respondent to open and close its defense, while ordering that the fourth respondent to bring in their witness on the same day.
Recall that on July 3, 2023, the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal was adjourned due to the ill health of an unnamed Labour Party (LP) witness.
The witness was scheduled to testify before the three-member tribunal headed by Justice Arum Ashom.
But at the resumption of proceedings, LP’s counsel, Idowu Benson, who also held the brief of Olumide Ayeni (SAN), counsel to the LP’s candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, informed the tribunal that the witness could not testify on account of ill health and further requested a date for continuation.
The respondents in the matter is Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; All Progressives Congress (APC) and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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