Appeal Court upholds Okowa’s election, sacks only APC member in Rivers Assembly

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, Thursday, upheld the election of Ifeanyi Okowa as the Governor of Delta State in two appeals filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party candidates.

Altogether six cross appeals were filed in the court.

While the main appeal by the Labour Party candidate, Great Ogboru was dismissed, judgement in Governor Okowa, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) cross appeals were taken together.

The court dismissed the cross appeals by Governor Okowa and the PDP, while INEC’s cross appeal was upheld.

The Delta State governorship election tribunal sitting in Asaba had earlier upheld the election of Governor Okowa.

The tribunal held that the APC could not prove that the governorship poll was characterised by irregularities.

There was palpable tension in Asaba, the Delta State capital, when it emerged that the judgement of the Appeal Court had been moved to Abuha from Benin with no explanantions adduced for the development.

Meanwhile, in a separate ruling, also in Abuja, the Court of Appeal nullified the election of Hon Olu Josiah of Eleme Constituency who is the only All Progressives Congress (APC) member in the Rivers House of Assembly.

The court also ordered for rerun elections in four wards within 60 days.

Eleme Constituency has ten wards. Hon Josiah Olu is of the APC. Isaac Khamalu of the PDP challenged the decision of the tribunal that struck out his petition and upholding the election of Josiah Olu. But the Court of Appeal has ordered for rerun election in four of Eleme’s 10 wards where electoral defects were established.