The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal brought before it by Ikie Aghwarianovwe, seeking the disqualification of Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori for lacking in merit.
Channels TV report that, In a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the court held that the appellant failed to prove his case beyond a reasonable doubt.
According to Justice Agim, the mere fact that there were differentials in names does not amount to falsity.
He stated that an error in the date of birth in a certificate not shown evidentially to emanate from the respondent cannot amount to falsity.
The court ordered Ikie to pay the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Governor N3 million each in expenses after dismissing the appeal for lack of merit.
Channels TV report that, In October 2022, Chief Ikie, a PDP candidate for governor, sued Oborevwori and the PDP, claiming that the latter had presented forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support his eligibility for the Delta State House of Assembly election in 2019.
In the lawsuit, which was originally assigned to the Hon. Justice Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, but was moved to Asaba, Delta State, Ikie further argued that Oborevwori was ineligible to run for governor in 2023 as a result of the allegedly fabricated documents.
Although they refuted the fabrication claim, Oborevwori and the PDP argued that the lawsuit was time-barred because the materials submitted to INEC in 2018 for the 2019 general election could not be used to disqualify a candidate in 2023.
The trial court upheld the defendants’ objection, finding that Ikie had utterly failed to support the forgery claims.
Ikue appealed the judgement to the Court of Appeal out of dissatisfaction, but the Abuja Court of Appeal confirmed the trial court’s ruling and ruled in favour of Oborevwori on all the points at hand.
Lukundu (
)
