Governorship Tribunal Grants Ogboru Substituted Means To Serve Okowa Election Petitions

The Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has granted the request by the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the 2019 governorship election in Delta State, Chief Great Ogboru to serve the incumbent governor and governor-elect, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa with election petition through substituted service.

The election petitions will be served through a substituted means following prayers by the 1st and 2nd petitioners, Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru and the All Progressives Party, citing series of evasiveness by Governor Okowa to personally receive the petition.

Chief Great Ogboru, who is the First Runner-Up in the March 9, 2019 governorship election, is amongst others, challenging the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP candidate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa at the election tribunal holden in Asaba.

The suit filed by Chief Great Ogboru and APC, has Governor Okowa as the 1st respondent while the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC are the 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.

They are asking Governor Okowa and PDP to answer the question how their votes as declared by INEC are more than the total accredited voters in the March 9 Governorship election in the State.

In the court order obtained by ASABA METRO, the chairman of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in the state, Hon. Justice Suleiman Belgore granted the request for substituted service of the petitioner petition No. EPT/DT/GOV/01/2019 dated 25/3/19, filed on 31/3/19 at the tribunal proceedings on Friday, April 12, 2019.

Upon reading the Motion Ex Parte and the Affidavit deposed to the court by a close associate of the APC gubernatorial candidate and after hearing the submissions of TieTie .O Esq., counsel to the Petitioners, Justice Suleiman Belgore ruled that, “It is hereby ordered that the 1st respondent, Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa be served the petition and other processes by substituted means to wit: service through the secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (P.D.P), Delta State Chapter, Asaba or through any officer in his office.”

ASABA METRO could not confirm the current status of the petition as Chief Obi Nzeteh, Secretary, Delta State PDP declined comments on it when contacted via telephone call.