…..S’Court: IPAC urges Rhodes-Vivour, Jandor to congratulate Sanwo-Olu
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LP’s Gbadebo Rhode-Viviour and PDP’s Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor) had approached the Supreme Court to seek for Sanwo-Olu’s sack.
Meanwhile, the apex court in a unanimous decision on Friday, upheld Sanwo-Olu as duly elected governor of Lagos state, dismissing the appeals of LP’s Rhodes-Vivour and PDP’s Adediran for lacking in merit and a gross abuse of court process.
The Supreme Court dismissed the two separate appeals that challenged Sanwo-Olu’s return as winner of the governorship election held in the state on March 18.
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Reacting, Mr Olusegun Mobolaji, the IPAC Chairman in Lagos state told NAN that since the apex court had spoken, both Adediran and Rhode-Viviour should rejoice with Sanwo-Olu and congratulate him, while waiting for another election.
“If the apex court has given Sanwo-Olu the victory as deserved winner, let us rejoice and celebrate with him by congratulating the governor,” the IPAC boss said.
He urged all election stakeholders and institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) security and judiciary to work together to make Nigeria’s democracy better.
Mobolaji said that though the current political and judicial system were not perfect, Nigerians must support the system for it to work for the betterment of the nation.
“The system that we have either way, we have to support it and make sure things work. There may be lapses but we must not start antagonising and condemning our own system.
“We should try to make the system that we have better by working on it,” he said.
The IPAC boss urged the candidates of the Labour Party and PDP to go back to the drawing board and prepare for the 2027 contest.
He said that all political parties that would make substantial influence in 2027 general elections in the state should prepare well for the forthcoming local government area elections in the state.
“If the governor’s challengers feel that they can do better than him, let them prove it and start it from the forthcoming grassroots election.
“This time around, election is being determined more by the electorate rather than any other factor. We are getting more and more to that ideal,” he said.
Advising the governor to be magnanimous in victory by running an all inclusive governance, Mobolaji said that no public office is forever, hence the need to be kind to the people to have an enduring legacy.
“Sanwo-Olu is running his second and final term by the time he completes this, he will come down to the people. So, the governor must be conscious of this and prepare for it,” he said.
NAN recalls that Rhodes-Vivour (LP/ and Adediran (PDP) had approached the apex court to challenge Sanwo-Olu’s victory in the election.
The LP urged the Supreme Court to hold that the March 18 election was marred by irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
He also added that the Lagos state deputy governor was not qualified to contest the election.
Similarly, Adediran filed 34 grounds of appeal, asking the apex court to upturn the verdict of the Lagos state governorship election tribunal and the court of appeal.
…..S’Court: IPAC urges Rhodes-Vivour, Jandor to congratulate Sanwo-Olu