The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was purportedly misled about Sheriff Oborevwori’s academic credentials and date of birth, according to Ikie Aghwarianovwe, who appealed to the Supreme Court asking for the disqualification of the governor of Delta State.
Aghwarianovwe failed to demonstrate that the concurrent rulings of the two lower courts were perverse, according to a unanimous decision by a five-member panel of the Supreme Court on Friday. As a result, the appeal was dismissed.
Justice Emmanuel Agim read Justice Adamu Jauro’s lead judgment aloud on Friday.
The Federal High Court, Asaba division’s ruling that Aghwarianovwe had not made his case and that Oborevwori was eligible to run in the most recent state governor’s election was upheld by the Supreme Court in a decision made on May 5, 2023 by the Court of Appeal, Asaba division.
None of the appeal’s grounds, according to Justice Jauro, demonstrated that the concurrent judgments of the two lower courts were erroneous.
“I find that no matter how the instant appeal is regarded, it is destined to fail after a very careful review of every argument made by all the parties on the different grounds addressed.
“There is nothing redeeming about it. The appeal had no possibility of succeeding, regardless of the appeal’s grounds, the important jurisdictional question, or the merit itself.
“In light of the aforementioned, I do not think the immediate appeal has any merit. I dismiss the same,” he declared before going on to uphold the earlier rulings from two lower courts.
Six million naira in costs were assessed by Justice Jauro against the appellant, to be paid by the first and second respondents, PDP and Oborevwori, at a rate of three million naira each.
Justices Mohammed Garba, Ibrahim Saulawa, Tijani Abubakar, and Agim, the other members of the panel, concurred with the main decision.
