Court of Appeal Dismisses Ogboru’s petition, affirmed Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa’s election

Related stories

Ribadu, CDS Reel Out Laudable Achievements In Addressing Insecurity

The National Security Adviser to the President, Malam Nuhu...

Drama as Senate Insist NNPCL’s led Ojulari Must Explain N210 Trillion Audit Discrepancies

By Hamilton Nwosu  The Nigerian Senate’s Public Accounts Committee has...

2027: SGF Akume Begs Atiku, Kwankwaso, Other Northerners to Defer Ambitions Until 2031

By Hamilton Nwosu Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the...

Egypt’s Growing LNG Imports Could Reshape Global Markets

Egypt turned from a net LNG exporter to a...

Thailand accuses Cambodia of violating hours-old ceasefire

Thailand has accused Cambodia of "deliberately" violating a ceasefire...

download (55)The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the appeal filed by the Labour Party’s governorship candidate in the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Delta State, Chief Great Ogboru, challenging the judgment of the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which affirmed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s election.

In a unanimous judgment by the five-man bench presided over by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji on Thursday, the appeal court held that the appeal lacked merit and that the tribunal was right to have dismissed Ogboru’s petition.

Ogboru filed his petition before the tribunal challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Okowa of the PDP as winner of the poll.

The LP’s candidate alleged that there was overvoting as the number of total votes recorded exceeded the number of voters accredited by the card reader machines.

Also alleging that the conduct of the poll did not substantially comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act, Ogboru urged the tribunal to nullify the April 11, 2015 poll and order a rerun.

But the tribunal sitting in Asaba, in its judgment delivered on October 26, 2015‎, dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.

Ogboru further appealed to the Court of Appeal which heard the case in Benin on December 17 but relocated to Abuja to deliver its judgment on Thursday, has now dismissed the appeal.

Justice Abba-Aji in the lead judgment of the Court of Appeal held that Ogboru merely relied on records of the card reader accreditation without demonstrating the documents by credible evidence.

She held that Ogboru never challenged the evidence of the respondents and even his own witnesses that the card readers had challenges in many part of the states and that apart from the use of card reader, there was also manual accreditation.

She held that the appellant needed to have proved that the card reader machines functioned optimally in all the polling units of the state before he could solely rely on the accreditation by‎ the card reader.

Meanwhile the judgment of the tribunal on the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress’ candidate, Olorogun O’ tega Emerhor; and the cross appeal by Okowa are still being awaited.

Hamilton Nwosa
Hamilton Nwosa
Hamilton Nwosa is an experienced, and committed communication, business, administrative, data and research specialist . His deep knowledge of the intersection between communication, business, data, and journalism are quite profound. His passion for professional excellence remains the guiding principle of his work, and in the course of his career spanning sectors such as administration, tourism, business management, communication and journalism, Hamilton has won key awards. He is a delightful writer, researcher and data analyst. He loves team-work, problem-solving, organizational management, communication strategy, and enjoys travelling. He can be reached at: hamilton_68@yahoo.com

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Ribadu, CDS Reel Out Laudable Achievements In Addressing InsecurityDrama as Senate Insist NNPCL's led Ojulari Must Explain N210 Trillion Audit Discrepancies2027: SGF Akume Begs Atiku, Kwankwaso, Other Northerners to Defer Ambitions Until 2031Egypt’s Growing LNG Imports Could Reshape Global MarketsThailand accuses Cambodia of violating hours-old ceasefire(VIDEO) Anxities as Ghanaians Ask Nigerians to leave Ghana in Viral VideoPeter Obi Warns, Says FG's Borrowing 'll Mortgage Nigerians future, debt Nearing ₦200 TrillionTinubu’s $3m Cash Reward to Super Falcons is Profligacy By Yemi AdebowaleArtificial Intelligence and God’s Plan for Humanity: A Case for Hope, Progress, and PurposeWhen Will This Call to Service End? By Johnson Babalola(VIDEO) Why I Didn’t Watch WAFCON Final– Tinubu Reveals God says, let there be movement, Nigeria Police says no! By Owei LakemfaOil Prices Climb as U.S. and EU Reach Historic Tariff AgreementBreaking! Tinubu Bestows National Honours on Super FalconsEkiti Guber: Fayose Backs Oyebanji, As Ekiti topshots throw Weight Behind State Governor's Re-Election 
X whatsapp