The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ordered the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to hear, on merit, a petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate in the last election, Ken Pela, challenging the election of Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The order followed the discovery that as against the finding of the tribunal, Pela and his party did not abandon their petition.
The court then ordered the petition back to the tribunal for hearing within the time stipulated in the Electoral Act.
In a judgment on July 6, the tribunal, with Justice C. H. Achuchaogu as chairman, held that the petition was deemed abandoned on the grounds that the petitioners’ application for pre-hearing session was not properly filed.
LP’s Pela, who came third behind Oborevwori and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), had challenged the outcome of the election and prayed the tribunal to among others, void Oborevwori’s return as the winner.
