The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu have been accused of voting with invalid voters cards in the March 18 governorship election.
This is according to a witness, Dayo Israel, who appeared before the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Tuesday.
Israel told the court that he served as an agent for the Labour Party for Unit 006, Ward 15, Lagos Island Local Government.
The witness testified that the electoral process was violated by the Independent National Electoral Commission as the electoral body’s staff permitted Sanwo-Olu and his wife to vote despite having ivalid card.
Israel, who provided this testimony as part of the petition filed by the Labour Party’s candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, seeking to nullify Governor Sanwo-Olu’s return, said he observed the card reader indicating that the governor and the First Lady had invalid voters cards.
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“I observed that the card reader showed their cards to be invalid but Sanwo-Olu and his wife were allowed to cast their votes and this is against INEC’s electoral process,” he said.
The witness, during cross-examination from counsel to INEC, Charles Edosomwan, told the court that thugs sponsored by the ruling All Progressives Congress beat him up on election day.
He claimed to have recognised them as APC supporters based on their language and stated that they threatened to beat up voters who did not vote for the APC.
He said, “I am not a member of the Labour Party, but I was assigned as an agent. When the APC thugs recognised me as an LP agent, they beat me up. They also said if voters did not vote for APC, they would beat them too.”
Israel further described the incident, stating that four individuals attacked him during the casting of votes, but he managed to escape, changed his clothes to disguise himself, and returned to monitor the vote counting.
The witness also highlighted cases of multiple voting at the polling unit, noting that INEC officials failed to intervene despite witnessing the irregularities.
The hearing on the petition has been adjourned until July 3, when the proceedings will continue.