Appeal Court Permits Labour Party to Challenge Delta Guber Result

The Court of Appeal on Thursday granted the Labour Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate, Ken Pela, approval to return to the Delta State Election Tribunal to continue his petition challenging the election of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Delta State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Asaba, had in July dismissed the petition of Pela for abandoning it.

Ruling on the petition, the Chairman of the Panel, Justice C.H Ahuchaogu, said that the petition was incompetent and a flagrant violation of paragraph 18 subsection 1 of the 4th Schedule to the Electoral Act 2022.

Pela, in petition EPT/DL/GOV/01/23, had gone all out to challenge the outcome of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Delta and seek leave of the tribunal to upturn the declaration of Oborevwori as the state governor.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was joined in the petition as 1st respondent while Gov Sheriff Oborevwori and his Deputy, Monday Onyeme are 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively with PDP as 4th respondent.

However, in a turn of events on Thursday, Pela secured approval to return to the Delta State Governorship Tribunal.

INEC had earlier declared Oborevwori as the winner of the 18 March election in the state.

Oborevwori polled 360,234 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Ovie Omo-Agege of the All Progressives Party, who scored 240,229.

LP candidate, Pela, came third with 48,027 votes, while Great Ogboru of the All Progressives Grand Alliance came fourth with 11,021 votes.