Delta State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has congratulated Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on his latest Supreme Court victory and urged Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi to accept the judgement and return to his distinguished status as a prominent Delta statesman and patriot, to work with the victor in the interest of Delta State and Deltans, now that the Apex Court has brought a final closure to his litigations challenging the outcome of the March 18, 2023 Governorship election in the state.
A statement by Dr Ifeanyi Osuoza, State Publicity Secretary, Delta State PDP, which contained the felicitation and admonition, read in parts:
“The Delta State PDP family heartily congratulates our dear Governor and leader, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori over his latest legal victory at the Supreme Court, which dismissed the appeal filed by Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, challenging our hard-earned and well-deserved victory, at the March 18, 2023 Governorship election.
“For the avoidance of doubt and to put the matter in proper perspective, the Supreme Court Judgement is a final affirmation of the triumph of PDP and Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori in the Governorship election, following the declaration by the Tribunal and confirmation by the Appeal Court, dismissing the petition and appeal filed by Gbagi, the Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), challenging the refusal of the Trial Court to admit fresh evidence not pleaded or front-loaded, during the trial.
“Gbagi who claimed to have discovered new evidence to prove his petition, had made an application for the reopening of his case on the date fixed for adoption of final written addresses by the Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Asaba, but the Tribunal dismissed the aforesaid application for being incompetent, belated, and strange, as the document he was trying to introduce was not pleaded in his petition.
“The Tribunal then concluded the hearing of the Petition and found that Gbagi’s claim of being the winner of the election was totally unfounded. The Tribunal also dismissed Gbagi’s claim that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was not qualified to contest the election.
“The Court of Appeal in the same vein of dismissing Gbagi’s application, upheld the decision of the Tribunal not to reopen the case and in a unanimous judgement of the Supreme Court, delivered by Justice John Inyang Okoro, the apex court held that the appeal was a complete waste of time, had become spent, academic and lacking usefulness, even as it noted that 180 days for hearing the petition had expired, and there is no Tribunal existing to even hear the appeal, since the Tribunal had since been dissolved.
“We commend the tenacity and conviction of Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi to pursue his litigation to the conclusive end, especially since it has also proven the declaration of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori as the duly elected Governor of Delta State beyond all doubts and we urge the elder Statesman to now join hands with the Governor as the patriotic and distinguished Deltan he has always been, to do MORE for Deltans and work for the collective interest of our dear Delta State.”
