Delta State Governorship Election Tribunal Upholds Sheriff Oborevwori’s Victory
ASABA/Nigeria: In a landmark ruling delivered on Friday, the Tribunal upheld the election victory of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori as the Governor of Delta State, dismissing the petitions filed by the trio of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ken Pela of the Labour Party (LP), and Chief Kenneth Gbagi of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The three-member tribunal panel, presided over by Justice C.H. Ahuchaogu, cited a lack of merit as the grounds for the dismissal of Senator Omo-Agege’s petition, which had challenged Governor Oborevwori’s triumph in the March 18 Governorship election.
The tribunal’s verdict, which reinforces Oborevwori’s position as Governor, comes as a significant legal victory for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State.
A pivotal point of contention in Senator Omo-Agege’s case was the allegation of overvoting. The tribunal emphasized that to substantiate claims of overvoting, the petitioner must provide the BVAS (Biometric Verification and Authentication System) report as evidence.
However, the petitioner failed to furnish the BVAS report despite being granted the opportunity to inspect it. The tribunal invoked a Supreme Court judgment asserting that BVAS is mandatory to prove overvoting, thus rendering the petitioner’s claims inadequate.
In addressing allegations of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, the tribunal ruled that the petitioner had not met the legal burden of proving non-compliance in each polling unit. The petitioner relied on a single witness, PW1, who was not present at any of the units, rendering the claims of non-compliance unsubstantiated.
Furthermore, the tribunal found allegations of corrupt practices insufficient, as there was no evidence to identify the perpetrators or demonstrate how these allegations influenced the election’s outcome. Allegations of inflated figures were also deemed inconsequential and irrelevant to the final result.
In a related development, petitions filed by Ken Pela of the Labour Party and Chief Kenneth Gbagi of the Social Democratic Party were similarly dismissed due to their failure to prove allegations of overvoting and other irregularities.
The tribunal’s comprehensive ruling underscored the petitioner’s inability to provide credible and indisputable evidence to support their case. Consequently, the Tribunal affirmed the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that Sheriff Oborevwori was duly elected as the Governor of Delta State.
This ruling brings an end to a protracted legal battle over the Delta State Governorship election and solidifies Sheriff Oborevwori’s position as the rightful Governor, marking a resounding victory for the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.
