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Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the March 9, 2019 election in Delta State, Great Ovedje Ogboru, has closed his case at the election petition tribunal sitting in Asaba, the state capital.
Ogboru and the APC called 20 witnesses in a bid to prove allegations of electoral fraud contained in the petition marked EPT/DT/GOV/01/2019.
The petitioners tendered volumes of documentary evidence, including voters’ registers and results from polling units (forms EC8A to EC8E) before the Justice Suleiman Belgore-led three-man panel.
Ogboru’s petition challenged the return of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election as confirmed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The petitioners alleged that the conduct of the March 9, 2019 governorship election did not comply with the provisions of the law, insisting that Ogboru scored the highest number of valid votes cast.
They prayed the tribunal to declare the first petitioner (Ogboru) winner, as well as an order directing the third respondent (INEC) to withdraw withdraw the certificate of return issued to the first respondent (Okowa), and issue him (first petitioner) a fresh certificate of return.
Meanwhile, the tribunal has adjourned to July 23 for the first respondent (Governor Okowa) to open his defense.
This followed an application by the first respondent’s counsel for extension of time to enable study the case of the petitioners.
