Delta Guber: Supreme Court upholds Oborevwori’s victory

The Supreme Court on Friday, refused to nullify the election of Sheriff Oborevwori as the executive Governor of Delta State, as it dismisses Chief Ikie Aghwarianovwe’s appeal.

The Apex court maintained that the appeal before it lacked merit and ordered an N6 million fine against the appellant.

In a unanimous decision, the Apex court dismissed a pre-election case that challenged Oborevwori’s eligibility to contest the March 8 governorship election.

Justice Emmanuel Agim said it found no reason to set aside decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier dismissed the case against Governor Oborevwori.

The Asaba Division of the Federal High Court, challenged the nomination of Oborevwori as candidate of the PDP for the gubernatorial election, seeking his disqualification. 

According to him, Oborevwori, who was formerly the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, submitted false documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to aid his qualification.

In his defense, Oborevwori, contended that the suit was statute-barred, stressing that documents the plaintiff relied upon to seek his disqualification, pertained to the 2019 general elections.

Challenging the plaintiff’s locus standi to file the suit, the respondent also argued that documents submitted to INEC in 2018 could not be a basis for the disqualification of a candidate in 2023.

However, the lower court, in its judgment, upheld all the preliminary objections and accordingly dismissed the suit. 

Irked by the decision, the plaintiff headed to the Appeal Court for further legal exercise.

The appellate court, in its decision delivered by Justice Peter Olabisi Ige, upheld the verdict of the trial court and resolved all the issues for determination, in favour of Governor Oborevwori. 

The appellate court went ahead and ordered the appellant to pay a cost of N2 million to the PDP and Governor Oborevwori. 

Not satisfied with the judgment of the appellate court, Chief Ikie filed an appeal before the Supreme Court.