The APC Governorship candidate and the immediate past Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, has asked his legal team to move to Appeal Court as the Delta State Governorship Election petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba on Friday dismissed the Petition he brought before it challenging the victory of Governor Sheriff Oborewori and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18th, 2023 governorship election.
The three-man tribunal its judgement read by Justice C. H. Ahuchoagu, held that the petitioner failed to prove it’s case of non-compliance of the election with the electoral act and allegations of corrupt practices.
Omo-Agege has sought seven reliefs including the annulment of the declaration of Governor Sheriff Oborewori as winner of the said election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a declaration that the election was marked with corrupt practices and non-compliance with the electoral act, 2022, a declaration that the certificate of return issued to Oborewori be withdrawn and a declaration that he, Ovie Omo-Agege was the lawful winner of the election, amongst other reliefs.
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However, in its ruling the tribunal struck out all grounds of the petition for lacking in merit, saying that the petitioner failed to prove the allegations that there was non-compliance of the election with the electoral act and how the alleged non-compliance affected the general outcome of the election.
The tribunal noted that the petitioner relied on evidence from the INEC Back End Server BVI which was not a base to prove that there was overvoting in the election, adding that it was the duty of the petitioner to prove it’s case beyond all reasonable doubt.
The tribunal therefore upheld the the declaration of the second and third respondents (Sheriff Oborewori and PDP respectively) as winner of the election by the first respondent, INEC.
