The unanimous decision of the Appeal Court affirmed the lower tribunal’s ruling, stating that Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, were qualified to contest, contradicting the LP and Gbadebo’s assertions.

The court emphasized, “The decision of the lower court is affirmed, and the appeal is dismissed.”

The justices clarified, “No case of renunciation of citizenship has been established by the LP and Gbadebo against the 3rd respondent (Hamzat) in accordance with the constitution.

No evidence of an oath of allegiance to the United States and renunciation of Nigerian citizenship was presented before the tribunal (by the LP and Gbadebo).

No document to prove that 3rd respondent (Hamzat) was no longer a citizen of Nigeria. It is incumbent on the appellants (LP, Gbadebo) to prove their claim.”

Earlier, the appeal court had also dismissed the appeal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Olajide Adediran, challenging the declaration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as Governor.

The court held that the appellants failed to substantiate their allegations of forgery and non-qualification against Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.

The justices noted, “Even though they were all pre-election matters, the appellants (PDP and Adeniran) still failed to prove them. The appellants came empty-handed and left empty-handed. They merely enjoyed their day in court. Their petition is dismissed.”