LAGOS OCTOBER 26TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Delta State Labour Party Governorship candidate Chief Great Ogboru and Delta State All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Chef O;tega Emerhor have made their intention known that they will be challenging the verdict of Delta State Governor election delivered in favour of Dr Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The justice Nasiru Gumi-led tribunal, on Monday in Asaba, affirmed the victory of Okowa, dismissing the petition of Emerhor for lack of merit.
Reacting to the verdict of the tribunal verdict in a statement signed by Chief Tony Ezeagu, Delta State State Chairman, Labour Party, Ezeagu observed that the tribunal formulated four issues for determination of which three of the issues were ruled in their favour wondering why the tribunal upheld the April 11, 2015 Governorship Election which was bedevilled by “senseless rigging”.
“We thank their Lordships for the courage of agreeing with us that Card Readers formed an integral part of the Accreditation Process of the election and that the non-use or improper use of the Card Readers is an unlawful violation sufficient to vitiate the outcome of the election. But we respectfully disagree with the Panel that the failure of INEC to produce Card Reader reports for about 200 Polling Units is sufficient to sustain the election because available Card Reports for over 3,000 Polling Units confirm over-voting.
“ We do not think that the absence of Card Reader reports for less than 6% of the units is sufficient to validate negative reports confirming beyond doubt that there was over-voting in 96% of the polling units where the election is disputed. This is a matter that definitely calls for appellate intervention,” Ezeagu argued.
He said would be appealing against the Lordships’ judgment, adding that they prefer to test today’s decision on appeal court than allow it remain as a sore injustice in the hearts of the people of Delta State.
In another development, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the April 11 governorship election in Delta State, Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor, has expressed his intention to appeal the verdict of the tribunal, which upheld the victory of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in the governorship poll.
The APC candidate, however, in a statement on Monday, said the tribunal was just one step in the opportunities open to him to challenge the result of the election.
“This is a first-level court; we will appeal to the Court of Appeal and eventually to the Supreme Court.
“Our case is not different from that of the Rivers and Akwa Ibom. They will all be tested at the higher courts,” Emerhor added.