Tribunal affirms Okowa’s election, dismisses Ogboru’s petition for being opportunistic, gold-digging, badly drafted

Governor Okowa of Delta State.

The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Asaba today, Friday, September 20, 2019 dismissed the petition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2019 governorship election, Chief Great Ogboru , and affirmed the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as duly elected.

The tribunals Chairman, Justice Sulaiman Belgore who delivered the judgment described  the petition as “opportunistic and gold digging,” and threw out the petition in its entirety declaring that the petitioners failed to prove that Okowa was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast at the election.

“The petition was badly drafted, devoid of details and insufficient data. The case of the petitioner remains unproven,” Justice Belgore declared.

Ogboru had, in a petition marked EPT/DT/GOV/01/2019, challenged the re-election of Ifeanyi Okowa who was declared the winner of the March 9, 2019 election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He had alleged that the governorship election in the state was marred by massive rigging and electoral irregularities, and that he won at places where voting took place and should, therefore, be declared winner having scored the highest number of lawful votes cast.

Justice Belgore dismissed the petition in its entirety saying that the petitioners failed to prove that Okowa was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast at the election.