By Eseoghene Emuke
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has reacted to the judgement of the Court of Appeal which affirmed his election victory in the March 9, 2019 governorship election in the state.
Okowa said the petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election, Chief Great Ogboru was a needless one knowing that he defeated him convincing at the poll.
A five-man Court of Appeal panel led by Justice Uzo Ndukwe-Anyanwu on Friday upheld the election of Gov. Okowa as the winner of the governorship election.
The judgement which was, however, delivered by Justice Habeeb Abiru, the panel unanimously dismissed Ogboru’s petition for lack of merit, and added that the tribunal was right to have trashed the APC petition.
Okowa’s major challenger, Ogboru, had approached the appellate court to upturn the decision of the Election Petitions Tribunal which dismissed his petition against Okowa’s victory.
But, the governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, described the ruling as a “sound judgement” which is in line with the wishes of Deltans.
The governor expressed reservations on the needless petition, because, according to him, the election was won and lost at the polls.
The governor while commending the judiciary for the judgement, noted that the victory was an affirmation of the popular votes given to him by Deltans at the polls.
According to the statement, “Let me congratulate Deltans and our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, for this great victory.
“This judgement is victory for democracy because, the Judiciary has always proven that they are just and always committed to the course of justice and equity.
“It is also a confirmation of the popular votes given to us by the majority of Deltans who voted in that election.”
“Our administration will remain committed to the development of our dear state in spite of the litany of court distractions from a needless electoral dispute.
“Let us continue to pray for our dear state and our country because we believe that your prayers have continued to pave the way for our serial victories and achievements.
“Let us continue to have trust in the Lord, our God, to be with us in the time of our needs so that we will continue to remain peaceful and united as we strive to build a Stronger Delta of our dream,” Okowa said.
