Appeal Court orders tribunal to hear election petitions against Lagos governor

The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on Tuesday ordered that petitions filed by the Governorship Candidate of the Alliance for Democracy in Lagos, Owolabi Salis, and his Labour Party counterpart, Ifagbemi Awamaridi, challenging the election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, should be given accelerated hearing.
In a unanimous decision, a five-man panel of the court ordered the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to continue hearing of the petitions.
“From the record, it is clear that the tribunal was wrong to have declared the petition abandoned.
“The case is to be remitted to the lower court for expeditious hearing of the matter,” the appellate court held on Owolabi’s appeal.
It also found merit in a related but separate appeal by Awamaridi, challenging the tribunal’s dismissal of his petition against Sanwo-Olu’s victory.
It also ordered an expeditious trial.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ikeja had dismissed the petition filed by AD governorship candidate, challenging Sanwo-Olu’s victory  at the March 9 election.
The three-man panel headed by Justice T. T Asua dismissed the petition while ruling on a preliminary application filed by Sanwo-Olu and his party, All Progressives Congress.
The application challenged the competence of the petition.