The Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the state capital, on Friday upheld the election of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party, declaring him as the authentic winner of the March, 9, 2019 governorship election.
Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Great Ogboru, had in a petition marked EPT/DT/GOV/01/2019, challenged the victory of Okowa at the poll.
Ogboru while alleging that the election was marred with irregularities, over-voting and substantial non-compliance with the electoral act and guidelines, prayed the tribunal to nullify the election and order the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a fresh exercise or declare him winner on the ground that he scored majority of lawful votes cast during that exercise.
Chairman of the three-man tribunal, Justice Sulaiman Belgore, dismissed Ogboru’s petition for lack of merit and affirmed Okowa as winner of that exercise.
Meanwhile, Newsflash247 earlier reported that few minutes after the tribunal presided by Justice Sulaiman Belgore convened, power supply was interrupted, making the court uncomfortable for the judges, counsels, litigants, politicians and journalists.
Newsflash247 learnt that the stand by power generating set which serves the premises broke down few days ago, and was yet to be fixed before the judgment day.
Justice Belgore, therefore, adjourned proceedings for ten minutes to enable the technical session sort things out.
