The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on Sunday 10th March declared the result of the 9th March governorship election held in Lagos state. INEC returning officer and vice chancellor Obafemi Awolowo University OAU Prof Eyitope Ogunmodede. He declared that Sanwo Olu polled 739:445 votes to defeat his closest rival Jimi Agbaje of the PDP was ho polled 206:141 votes. Sanwo Olu of the All Progressive Congress defeated his closest rival Jimi Agbaje Of the PDP by 503:304 votes making it a landslide victory for the APC.

 

This landslide victory should have buried all hatchet but the game of politics comes with surprises. The closest rival in the governorship contest Mr Jimi Agbaje of the PDP showed good sportsmanship by putting a call through to the winner of the poll to congratulate him for his victory at the poll.

The main opposition the PDP vent the frustration of their huge electoral loss on their candidate at the poll Jimi Agbaje accusing him of running a non-inclusive campaign but did not put their electoral loss on the electoral umpire or the ruling All Progressive Congress.

Surprisingly two petitions were filed by two political parties whose candidates lost out in the governorship race. The Alliance gif Democracy AD and the Labour Party LP. They made the following prayers at the election petition tribunal.

A declaration that the pronouncement of Babajide Olusola Sanwo Olu of the APC as the winner of the governorship election is null and void and such pronouncement be set aside, because of gross electoral fraud and or gross electoral misconduct.

A declaration that the law-abiding winner of the 2019 Lagos governorship election is Owolabi Salis of the Alliance for Democracy AD be sworn in immediately. A declaration that Babajide Sanwo Olu was not fit and proper to contest the 2019 governorship election

The chairman of the alliance for democracy AD Mr Kolawole Ajayi disclosed to the media at a joint press conference with the governorship candidate of the Labour Party Mr Fagbemi Awamaridi Multiple voting was done by APC using PVCs of other registered voters.

The sources of these PVCs are those that were not collected, stolen or not available. Many PVCs were cloned by the ruling party APC and such cards were used to vote ahead of the genuine PVC card holders, contrary to electoral laws.

The materials released by the CBN to INEC in Lagos in the presence of other parties agents were incomplete before the commencement of the elections. The incomplete materials which include ballot papers and result sheets were released to the ruling part APC in collusion with INEC. This action denied votes by other parties including Alliance for Democracy.

The Lagos state governor-elect Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo Olu arrived at the Election Petition Tribunal In Ikeja on Tuesday 23rd April at 11:14 am alongside the deputy governor elect Obafemi Hamzat. Sanwo Olu was at the tribunal to file his defence to two petitions challenging his victory at the March 9th 2019 governorship election.

In his words, We are certainly confident because Lagosians have spoken. The people went out on March 9th to cast their votes. It was devoid of incident. There was not one incident reported officially. We trust that the tribunal will do its job and Lagosians will be happy.

It is a process that all of us must submit ourselves to that is why we are here today, and we are confident that the tribunal will do its job well. Lagos has championed judicial reform in the last twenty years, and my administration will not be different.

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