The Alliance for Democracy (AD)
and Owolabi Salis, its governorship candidate in the last election, have filed
a petition at the Lagos governorship election tribunal, seeking to stop the
inauguration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the governor on May 29.
The petitioners alleged that
Sanwo-Olu has a criminal record in the US and he is of unsound mind and should
be disqualified from being sworn in as governor.
The Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Sanwo-Olu, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Sam
Olumekun, INEC residential electoral commissioner are listed as respondents to
the petition.
Other respondents are -the
returning officer for the election, the commissioner of Police and the Nigerian
Army.
The Petition, a copy of which was
made available to NAN, stated “The second respondent (Sanwo-Olu) is a person
adjudged to be of unsound mind and who is not capable to be sworn in as the
Governor of Lagos state.
“Sanwo-Olu has records of unsound
mind and rehabilitation with the Gbagada General Hospital Lagos state.
“By virtue of section 182(1)(c)
of the 1999 constitution as (amended), the second respondent is a person not
qualified to be sworn in as a governor.
“Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the present
governor of Lagos state and who is the chief security officer of the state
attested to the fact that Sanwo-Olu is of unsound mind and not fit and proper
person to govern Lagos State.
“Governor Ambode equally stated
that Sanwo-Olu was arrested and detained for several months and was convicted
for spending fake dollars at a night club in America.”
Ambode had levelled the
allegations against Sanwo-Olu one day to the primary election where he lost the
APC governorship ticket.
AD and Salis are seeking an order
restraining the chief judge of Lagos from swearing in Sanwo-Olu.
They also sought an order restraining
the chief judge of Lagos, in the interim, from swearing-in Sanwo-Olu as
governor pending the determination of the petition at the tribunal.
Speaking to reporters after
filing the petition, Salis said “I’m here to ask the tribunal to stop the swearing-in
of Babajide Sanwo-Olu pending the determination of the substantive suit.
“The reason we are making the
request to the tribunal today is because of facts known to all Lagosians.
“Babajide Sanwo-Olu has some
mental issues and the constitution describes those who cannot occupy the
position of governor.
“That includes people who are of
unsound mind and of course those who have felony convictions in the last
10-years and it is of public knowledge that Babajide Sanwo-Olu was convicted
for spending fake dollars at a nightclub.
“The chief security officer of
the state, that is the current governor, made these facts known to all
Nigerians and the international community.
“It is not the free will of
Lagosians that someone who is of unsound mind or a felon to be fostered on
them.”
Salis alleged that Sanwo-Olu
emerged as governor-elect as a result of “imposition and fraudulent schemes” as
well as electoral malpractices.
The AD governorship candidate
said in order to prove the grounds that Sanwo-Olu was of unsound mind, he and
his party (AD) will subpoena Ambode and the Gbagada General Hospital to provide
the governor-elect’s medical records to the tribunal.
Ifagbemi Awamaridi of the Labour
Party (LP) who had accompanied Salis to file the petition at the Tribunal told
reporters that the prayer before the tribunal was for the disqualification of
Sanwo-Olu.
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