S’Court dismisses Omo-Agege’s appeal, affirms Oborevwori as Delta gov

The Supreme Court, on Friday, January 19, 2024, dismissed the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege, against the election of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori.

The court declared that the appeal lacked merit, saying Omo-Agege failed to discharge the burden of proof placed on him.

The court in the lead judgement delivered by Justice John Okoro held that Omo-Agege, a former Deputy Senate President, failed woefully to establish that the election was invalid for alleged corrupt malpractices.

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Okoro said that none of the allegations against the March 18, 2023, was established as required by law.

While Oborevwori scored 360,234 votes to win the governorship election, his closest rival, Omo-Agege of the APC, polled 240,229 votes.

The Supreme Court rejected the plea by Omo-Agege that the election be nullified on the allegations that the election was not conducted in substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.

Okoro also rejected the claim that the results of the governorship election were not properly recorded in some polling units and the allegations that the forms that contained some of the recorded results did not have serial numbers.

While affirming Oborevwori as the lawfully elected governor for Delta, the apex court affirmed the judgements of the Delta State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal which had earlier dismissed Omo-Agege’s petition for want of merit.

The Star