LAGOS NOVEMBER 15TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The Court of Appeal Abuja Division on Friday affirmed the election of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru, had approached the court of appeal to upturn the decision of the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which returned Okowa for a second term as governor of Delta State.
The affirmation of Okowa’s victory at the tribunal followed the dismissal of the petition of Ogboru and APC for lacking in merit.
INEC had declared Okowa and PDP winner of the March 9 governorship election in Delta State, haven garnered majority of the lawful votes cast in the election.
But the appellants in a 37 grounds of appeal filed by their counsel, Nicholson Ichekor, asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the entire judgment of the tribunal on the grounds that the tribunal erred in law when it dismissed their appeal for lacking in merit.
The three man panel of the governorship election panel led by Justice Suleiman Belgore, had in September dismissed Ogboru and APC’s petition against the return of Governor Okowa on grounds that the petitioners failed to prove the cases of irregularities and malpractices claimed in their petition.