The Lagos State Election Petitions Tribunal on Monday, September 23, 2019, affirmed Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the governor of Lagos State as it dismissed the petition filed by the Labour Party and its governorship candidate, Ifagbemi Awamaridi.
The Labour Party and its governorship candidate, Awamaridi, and the Alliance for Democracy governorship candidate, Owolabi Salis, had filed a petition before the tribunal, challenging the victory of Sanwo-Olu in the last election.
The petitioners had alleged that Sanwo-Olu had a criminal record in the US, adding that Sanwo-Olu had records of unsound mind and a record of rehabilitation with the Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos State, and as such should not be sworn in as governor.
Dismissing their petition on Monday, the tribunal, which described the petition as a futile and wasteful exercise, noted that the petitioners could not prove their allegation of mental incompetence against Sanwo-Olu before the tribunal.
The three-man panel, led by Justice T. T. Asua, held that the petitioners also failed to prove their allegations of election malpractice against Sanwo-Olu and his party, the All Progressives Congress
He said, “The petitioners have failed to meet the requirement of the law. The petitioners have failed in our humble view to discharge the onus of proof, which would have been placed on the respondents. We confirm the return of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the duly elected governor of the state.”