The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2023 gubernatorial election in Delta State, Senator Augustine Ovie Omo-Agege, has been advised to publicly exhibit good conscience and political maturity by congratulating his governor and brother, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori over Appeal Court verdict of November 24, saying that approaching Supreme Court amounts to waste of time and scarce financial resources.
Executive Assistant on Communication and Orientation to Delta State Governor, Dr (Barr) Wilfred Latimore Oghenesivbe, gave the advise during a mid-news radio interview monitored in Asaba on Friday. He said the sound judgment of the Appellate Court in Lagos, does not require further legal scrutiny by way of appeal to the Supreme Court, pointing out that the Apex Court does not donate votes.
He averred that the tribunal and Appeal Courts rulings clearly revealed that Senator Agege and his party, the APC, bypassed and/or deliberately disregarded genuine results captured in the BIVAS machines, relied on hearsay that is not admissible and wrongly claimed that there were irregularities in some polling units without tendering valid evidence, and/or calling party agents and INEC officials to testify at the Tribunal as required in criminal jurisprudence.
Oghenesivbe went further to say that Senator Agege and his party were given ample opportunity and sufficient time at the Tribunal to show cause why their petition and prayers must override the results as declared by INEC, but merely relied on hearsay, unscrupulous documents and social media speculations that are not admissible in the instant case.
“It is crystal clear that Senator Agege and his party ought not to approach the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal in the first place. But they did, and the outcome of their futile legal battles is staring at them in the face.
“The Courts declared that their prayers and claims amounted to mere academic exercise, and lacking in merit. The outcome of the free, fair and transparent governorship election that produced a winner, in the person of Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, the governor of Delta State cannot be contradicted as affirmed by the Court of Appeal on November 24.
“My humble and sincere advise to our dear brother and former governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Agege, is that he should be courageous enough to exhibit good conscience and political maturity by congratulating his governor and brother, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, instead of approaching the Supreme Court over a matter that would earn him and his party the third and final defeat.
“Agege, should proactively demonstrate that he’s a good sportsman and a gallant loser who will never shy away from the naked truth whenever the need arises, as can be seen from the sound verdicts of the Tribunal and Court of Appeal,” Oghenesivbe said.
