The Supreme Court, on Friday, has upheld the election victory of Sheriff Oborevwori, the governor of Delta State.
In a unanimous decision, a five-member panel of the apex court dismissed an appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, challenging the outcome of the governorship election held in the state on March 18, 2023.
The court, in its lead judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro, held that the appeal lacked merit, stating that the APC and its candidate failed to prove that the election was not conducted in substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2023.
The court also dismissed Omo-Agege’s contention about the serial numbers on some result sheets, emphasising that even if those sheets were removed, it wouldn’t affect the margin of lead in Oborevwori’s favour.
The court held that the appellants failed to meet the burden of proof required by law, leading to the dismissal of the petition without cost.
INEC had declared Oborevwori of the PDP as the winner with 360,234 votes, while Omo-Agege of the APC secured 240,229 votes.
Dissatisfied, Omo-Agege approached the tribunal seeking to nullify the election outcome.
The tribunal and the Court of Appeal had earlier ruled in favour of Oborevwori.
