In a unanimous ruling on Friday, the Court of Appeal in Lagos affirmed the victory of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori in the Delta State governorship election held on March 18. The appeal was filed by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the election and was unanimously dismissed by the appellate court.
The court found Omo-Agege’s appeal to be without merit, upholding the decision of the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had earlier affirmed Oborevwori’s victory on September 29. Omo-Agege, who is the current Deputy President of the Senate, had sought to be declared the winner of the poll in his appeal to the appellate court.
Governor Oborevwori urged the court to dismiss the appeal, arguing that it lacked merit. The Court of Appeal, in its judgment on Friday, not only upheld Oborevwori’s election but also dismissed Omo-Agege’s appeal for lack of merit. The decision reinforced the findings of the lower tribunal.
In a separate decision, the tribunal also dismissed an appeal by Kenneth Gbaji of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) against the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), APC, and Labour Party (LP), as well as their respective governorship candidates. Additionally, the Court of Appeal, in another judgment, dismissed an appeal by the Labour Party (LP) and its governorship candidate, Ken Pela, challenging the lower tribunal’s decision that upheld the election of Governor Oborevwori.
The unanimous rulings by the Court of Appeal signify a legal affirmation of Governor Oborevwori’s victory, bringing a conclusion to the electoral dispute and consolidating his position as the legitimate winner of the Delta State governorship election.
