The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal filed by the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, aimed at nullifying the election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. In a judgment issued on Friday, January 12, the apex court deemed the appeal without merit.
Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, delivering the lead judgment, stated that the acquisition of United States citizenship by Deputy Governor Femi Hamzat did not strip him of his Nigerian citizenship, as he is a citizen by birth.
Justice Garba emphasized that a Nigerian citizen by birth who obtains citizenship of another country remains qualified to contest an elective position unless they renounce their Nigerian citizenship, as stipulated by Section 29 of the Constitution.
Furthermore, the court affirmed that both Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat were eligible to participate in the election. This decision upheld the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal, which had validated Sanwo-Olu’s election.
