Appeal Court Ruling: Lagos assembly congratulates Sanwo-Olu

Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly congratulated Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, on Thursday for the affirmation of their victory in the March 18 governorship election by the Court of Appeal.

The lawmakers also emphasized the need for the National Assembly’s electoral committee to address issues related to the delay in voters’ registration and the high number of election cases handled by the Courts of Appeal.

This position was taken after the Clerk of the House, Barrister Olalekan Onafeko, read a letter informing the House that the National Assembly Committee on Electoral Act would have a three-day retreat in Lagos.

Deputy Speaker Hon. Mojisola Lasbat-Meranda, presiding over plenary on behalf of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, agreed that the registration of voters should be a continuous exercise to accommodate more eligible voters.

Lasbat-Meranda suggested that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could begin requesting means of identification during voter registration to verify the electorate’s actual places of residence.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petition, and LASIEC, Hon. Ajomale Oladipo, earlier identified the delay in voters’ registration and post-election legal matters as two challenges that the committee should address.

He mentioned that after general elections, Appeal Courts are burdened with numerous cases, leading to delayed judgments. Oladipo added that the Electoral Act should allow state High Courts to handle some of these cases.

The Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Noheem Adams, stressed the necessity for the National Assembly to create more awareness about the electoral review exercise. Hon. Sanni Okanlawon, representing Kosofe 1, suggested that the Electoral Act should accommodate diaspora voting.

Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa Constituency 2, urged the electoral committee to investigate situations where people are mobilized to vote in areas where they are not resident. “They occupy hotels during elections to sleep and leave for their states of residence after voting. Something should be done to address this,” he said.