In a significant development in the Lagos Governorship Tribunal, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has meticulously articulated its defense against the legal petitions set forth by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, popularly as Jandor.
Central to the petitions brought forth by Jandor is the contention that the APC failed to adhere to the mandated 21-day notice requirement, a fundamental stipulation outlined in the electoral act, prior to orchestrating its primary election.
Jandor substantiates this claim with certified true copy documents acquired from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). However, the APC has yet to furnish counter-evidence in the form of submitted documents to refute the allegation.
Furthermore, Jandor contests the legitimacy of the primary election organised by the Lagos State Chapter of the APC, which led to the emergence of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the party’s gubernatorial candidate.
According to Electoral Act provisions, only the National Working Committee (NWC) of a political party is authorised to organise such a pivotal primary election.
Jandor’s evidentiary backing includes a certified true copy of the Letter of Notification of Primary Election, bearing the signature of the Lagos State APC Chairman.
This stands unchallenged, as the APC failed to present a counter-letter undersigned by the National Chairman of the party.
Additionally, Jandor’s allegations extend to assertions of perjury by Governor Sanwo-Olu, who is accused of submitting a forged West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) result to INEC.
This claim is substantiated by a result verification report sourced from the WAEC website. While the APC has refrained from presenting a valid WAEC certificate as counter-evidence, their resistance towards a forensic analysis of the WAEC backend server is noteworthy.
The representative of WAEC, subpoenaed by Jandor/PDP, divulged a conflicting result compared to those submitted by Governor Sanwoolu to INEC.
Also, Jandor proffers a certified true copy of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat’s Form EC9. A critical observation reveals the absence of the declaration of oath page in this submission to INEC. This omission is significant in light of the Electoral Act, which mandates the inclusion of said oath page as a testament to candidates’ adherence to all constitutional prerequisites for their respective positions.
The APC’s response to this claim falls short, as they presented a declaration of oath page that, in actuality, was not submitted to INEC during the election period.
Jandor also tendered CTC copies of the updated membership register of the Labour Party submitted to INEC with Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour’s name conspicuously absent on the register.
Besides the membership register debacle, he also fell victim of invalid sponsorship as a result of non-compliance with the electoral act in the conduct of Labour party’s primary election.
Just like Hamzat, Rhodes-Vivour form EC9 also has a defect that contravenes section 29(1) of the electoral act 2022.
In light of the comprehensive arguments brought forth by Jandor, the fate of the APC and LP, cum the legitimacy of the election results now rest with the discernment of the tribunal.
A meticulous evaluation of the evidence provided by both parties will inevitably culminate in a judgment that carries far-reaching implications for all involved stakeholders.
Olanrewaju writes for Democratic Mandate Recovery
