Lagos Tribunal: Gov. Sanwo-Olu’s wife used faulty voter identification cards, according to a witness

Dayo Israel, a witness, testified before the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal presided over by Justice Arum Ashom that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his wife Ibijoke were permitted to cast their votes using faulty voter identification cards.

Dayo Isreal, the Labour Party, LP’s agent, was called to testify in the petition brought by the party’s gubernatorial candidate for the March 18 election in 2023, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, to overturn governor SanwoOlu’s victory.

Israel stated the court that he worked as an agent for the Labour Party in Unit 006, Ward 15, Lagos Island Local Government during the election while being led in as evidence by the Rhodes-Vivour’s main attorney, Olumide Ayeni SAN.

“I observed that the card reader showed their cards to be invalid, but Sanwo-Olu and his wife were allowed to cast their votes,” he added, “and this is against INEC’s electoral process.”

The witness further stated, while being cross-examined by Charles Edosomwan, SAN, counsel for INEC, that APC supporters beat him up on that particular day.

Despite not being a Labour Party member, I was given the role of an agent. They beat me up after the APC thugs realized I was the party’s agent. Additionally, he threatened to beat people who did not cast APC ballots.

being asked to recount how he was beaten by Governor Sanwo-Olu’s attorney, Muiz Banire, SAN. Israel claimed, “Four of them beat me up as the votes were being cast. I fled, got dressed in disguise, and then returned to see the vote-counting.”

As Sam Okpala, the State Secretary of the Labour Party in Lagos, who had also been subpoenaed, testified in front of the tribunal under the direction of the petitioner’s attorney Folagbade Benson, the subpoena was presented to the court through the witness, which prompted additional objections from the respondents.

In its decision, the Tribunal took note of the respondents’ objections but still went ahead and heard the witness’ testimony while directing the respondents to mention their objections in their final written addresses.

However, the Court postponed the remaining portion of the petition hearing to July 3.