Election Tribunal Dismisses Agbaje’s Petition, Upholds Ambode’s Election

The Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has upheld the victory of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who was returned winner of the April 11, 2015 poll in Lagos State by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The three-man tribunal, led by Justice Muhammad Sirajo, dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Jimi Agbaje, seeking nullification of Ambode’s victory.

Ambode polled 811,994 votes ahead of his strongest contender, Agbaje, who polled 659,788 votes to emerge the first runner-up.

But Agbaje and the PDP had approached the tribunal claiming that the April 11, 2015 governorship poll in Lagos State was conducted in breach of the INEC’s specified guidelines, adding that the said election was fraught with irregularities.

But the tribunal on Wednesday, in a ruling on the consolidated preliminary objection of Ambode and his party, the All Progressives Congress, against the case of the petition, described Agbaje and the PDP’s petition as incompetent and therefore dismissed it.