Delta State: Appeal Court To Decide Oborevwori, Omo-Agege’s Electoral Dispute Today

The Appeal Court will today deliver judgment on an appeal brought by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Ovie Omo-Agege, against the election of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Recall that Omo-Agege, immediate past deputy Senate president, filed the appeal to challenge the judgment of the state governorship election petition tribunal, which upheld the election of Governor Oborevwori in the March 18th, 2023 governorship election.

Omo-Agege is asking the appellate court to declare him the winner of the gubernatorial election on the grounds that he garnered the majority of the lawful votes cast.

He accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of declaring Oborevwori winner with excess votes that resulted from over-voting.

But Governor Oborevwori contended that the appeal by the APC governorship candidate lacks merit and urged the Court of Appeal to dismiss same.

Meanwhile, a pressure group within the state PDP, Delta Political Vanguard (DPV), is apprehensive about the outcome of the court.

Speaking to journalists in Asaba, the Delta State capital, Secretary of the group, Ese Sanco, said the trend of judgment by the Court of Appeal across states of the federation tends to favour APC.

Sanco cited the cases of Zamfara, Kano, and Plateau states, where the Court of Appeal’s verdict sacked sitting governors of the opposition parties.

He added that the case of Nasarawa State, where the judgment of the election tribunal sacked the sitting APC governor, was reversed by the appellate court.

Sanco said: “I am indeed saddened by the worthless vituperation of Delta APC and the belief that Mr. President has promised to hand over Delta State to them through the court. If this is true, then Nigeria is finished.

“I am not here to doubt whatever they decide to say or believe because there are clearly ominous signs that threaten not just our faith in the electoral and judicial system but evincing that our democracy is compromised.

“It is also crystal clear that the ruling party will not desist from this inglorious ideology of ‘snatch, grab and run away with power’ as directed by Mr. President during the electioneering period.”