By Fred Latimore Esq.
The Court of Appeal has again declared the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwedor, as the duly elected and valid governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State.
Chief Ikie Aghwarianovwe had dragged PDP and nine other Respondents to the Appellate Court challenging the decision of the lower Court on the ground that there was over voting by delegates at the just concluded gubernatorial primary in Delta State, which validly produced Oborevwori as the party’s Guber candidate.
The Court in its judgment agreed with the Respondents that the Appellant’s brief of argument was filed out of time and it is incompetent and it was therefore accordingly struck out by the Court, and as such there was no competent appellant brief before the Court.
However, the Court still proceeded to decide the appeal on the merit in the event that the Appellant goes on appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Court affirmed the lower Court’s decision and affirmed that that there was no over voting in the primaries of the PDP and the election was in compliance with the Electoral Act, the PDP Constitution and the PDP Electoral guidelines.
It described the PDP primaries as impeccable adding that the appeal was a waste of precious time and resources of the Court. It was further held that the suit is a gross abuse of Court process, and that “the appellant who scored zero should have gone back and re-strategize on the next election instead of wasting the precious judicial time and resources of the Court.”
The Court also held that the eminent legal guru, i.e Appellant’s counsel, should not have involved himself in such a matter, being an abuse of Court process.
The costs of one million Naira was awarded against the appellant in favour of each of the nine respondents, making a total of Nine Million Naira.
Comment here