On Wednesday, Great Ogboru and Olorogun O'tega Emerhor, the respective candidates of Labor Party (LP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Delta State, described the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the election of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as daylight robbery and a rape of democracy.
On Wednesday, Great Ogboru and Olorogun O'tega Emerhor, the respective candidates of Labor Party (LP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Delta State, described the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the election of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as daylight robbery and a rape of democracy.
In a unanimous decision, the justices of the Supreme Court on Tuesday in Abuja dismissed an appeal brought against Mr. Okowa’s election. The court characterized the appeal by Mr. Emerhor and Mr. Ogboru as an abuse of court process.
Reacting, Mr. Emerhor’s campaign director general, Benjamin Ogbalor, condemned the judgment, insisting that it was a rape of democracy.
Mr. Ogbalor accused the Supreme Court of overlooking glaring evidence of electoral malpractices revealed by abuse of the card reader technology that was meant to curb electoral fraud.
He regretted that the Supreme Court did not consider the fact that, in the 2011 governorship rerun, the total votes came to 438, 000 while Mr. Okowa ostensibly won in an election in which more than a million votes were cast. He wondered where the “overvotes” came from. He insisted that there was evidence of significant electoral malpractices in Delta State.
Claiming that the Supreme Court chose to ignore all the malpractices, Mr. Ogbalor described the court’s verdict as a total disservice to Nigeria’s democracy.
“Democracy lost out totally. Today, the Supreme Court has rewarded violators of electoral processes,” the APC spokesman said.
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but stated, “the judiciary set us back".
He urged Nigeria’s civil society groups and the National Assembly to ensure that the Electoral Act was updated to stem any abuses in 2019.
Mr. Ogbalor asked all APC members to remain calm and support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that they should work towards a future when their votes would count.
He challenged Governor Okowa to demonstrate accountability and root out corruption from his government in order to meet the expectations of the people of Delta.
In a separate reaction, the State Chairman of the Labor Party, Tony Ezeagwu, also condemned the Supreme Court judgment.
He stated that the judiciary had become a big disappointment to Nigerians, adding that the courts drive “front and back” with no consistency.
“We fought a good fight and we will not relent as we prepare for 2019 because our people must be liberated.
“This is a rape of democracy. Right from the first tribunal to the Supreme Court, we have continued to condemn and reject their judgments,” Mr. Ezeagwu said.