Okowa, Ogboru, and Emerhor
Today, August 17, 2015, signals the D day when the trial proper of the April 11, 2015 governorship election petition, brought before the Three-man Delta State Elections Petitions Tribunal, headed by Justice Nasiru Gumi, will commence.
The main protagonists; Governor Ifeanyi Okowa (Peoples Democratic Party, PDP), Chief Great Ogboru, (Labour Party, LP), Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, (All Progressives Congress, APC) and the Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, INEC, represented by their various counsels, have argued their cases at the pre-trial hearing stage and having already agreed to collapse all the main points of argument into the substantive petition and settled on the procedure and schedule of trial, including number and period for the examination of witnesses and dates for inspection of election materials, all is now set for the legal fireworks to begin.
Three petitions had originally been filed before the Delta State three-man elections petitions tribunal headed by Justice Nasiru Gunmi, challenging the declaration of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the April 11 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Three petitions were filed by Chief Great Ogboru of Labour Party, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Mr. Paul Isamade of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).
Paul Isamade had seemingly withdrawn from proceedings at the pre-trial stage, after counsel representing him and his political party, the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, Kehinde Edun, Esquire, had noticeably stopped appearing at the pre-trial hearings.
Chief Great Ogboru and the Labour Party, LP, as well as Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, in what many Delta political watchers interpreted as a continuation of their no-love lost relationship during the election season, had equally decided against a joint appearance and opted instead to pursue their petitions separately, thus compelling the Justice Gunmi led petition to schedule their individual pre-trial hearings at different times and dates.
Jonathan’s
