Barely four days after a Court of Appeal sitting in Benin-City, Edo State, dismissed a petition filed by the Delta Central senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Hon. Halims Agoda, against him over the 2015 general election result, Chief Ighoyota Amori’s victory dance has been cut short by the same Appeal Court.
The Appeal Court on Saturday annulled the election of Amori, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and declared Obariri Ovie Omo-Agege winner of the Labour Party as the winner of the 2015 Delta Central senatorial election. The appellate court annulled the victory of Amori as declared by INEC and upheld by the elections petition tribunal.
THISDAY gathered that gloom enveloped the camp of Amori, a one-time education commissioner in Delta State as his victory dance over the Appeal Court’s earlier verdict has become short-lived.
Dismissing the appeal of Agoda earlier in the week in the unanimous judgment, Justice H. Barka held that the use of manual accreditation was legal, adding that card readers were meant to complement manual accreditation. Barka said, over voting could only be said to have taken place if the number of votes cast was more than what was in the voters register and “not card readers.”
The judge also dismissed claims of the APC candidate of election violence and argument that the conduct of the election by INEC did not substantially comply with the provision of the Electoral Act.
Meanwhile, the victory dance yesterday night shifted to the camp of Omo-Agege, a one-time secretary to the Delta State Government (SSG) and chieftain of the PDP until his defection to the Labour Party before the 2014 general election.
With the victory of Omo-Agege, the number of PDP senators in Delta State has been reduced from three to two, that is, Senator James Manager representing Delta South and Peter Nwaoboshi who represents Delta North district.
thisday
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