Rhodes-Vivour secures court order for substituted service of petition on Sanwo-Olu
Governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the March 11, 2023 election, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has received the approval of the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to serve the winner of the poll and Governor of the state, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a substituted service of his petition.
Mr Rhodes-Vivour had approached the tribunal with an ex parte request following the refusal of the Governor Sanwo-Olu to accept the document from the court’s bailiff through his counsel, Mr. Olagbade Benson.
When the court representative arrived at Sanwo-Olu’s office to serve him, they said that he refused to accept the document from the bailiff.
In the petition with file number EPT/LAG/GOV/04/2023, the petitioners ask the court to give them permission to serve the governor and his deputy with the petition and other legal documents by alternative means, such as by mailing them to the respondent’s official residence at Lagos House in Marina, Lagos, via DHL courier services or any other reputable courier service provider.
A total of 48 petitions have been submitted to the Lagos State Election Petition Tribunal over the elections held on February 25 and March 11 in 2023,m including three from the governorship candidates, and others challenging the state Assembly elections conducted on March 11.
Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor) the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), along with Rhodes-Vigour of the LP have each independently petitioned the tribunal to void Sanwo-Olu’s reelection and declare them the winners.
The petitioners had contested the results of the March 18 governorship election in Lagos State, in which Sanwo-Olu had been proclaimed the victor by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Already, the tribunal had granted Rhodes-Vivour his request to commence inspection of sensitive materials deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the March 11 election in Lagos.
