Appeal Court affirms Osanebi’s victory

Appeal Court affirms Osanebi’s victory

Count of Appeal seating in Benin City today jettisoned the suite challenging the victory of Rt. Hon. Friday Ossai Osanebi in the 2019 House  of Assembly election, awarding a fine of three hundred thousand Naira (300, 000) to the petitioner to be paid to the former Deputy Speaker.

The panel of three appeal court judges,  led by Hon. Justice Haruna Simons Somani, dismissed  Mr. Egwurabor Godstime's  petition for lack of content and cautioned him, for what was described as  abuse of court processes.

Earlier this year,  the Delta State House of Assembly election petitions tribunal in Asaba, the Delta State Capital, affirmed Rt. Hon. Friday Ossai Osanebi of the Peoples Democratic Party as the authentic winner of the February, 2019 House of Assembly elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) had declared the former Deputy Speaker, the winner of the poll, but   Mr. Egwurabor Godstime of All Grassroots Alliance ( AGA) challenged  the victory, noting that Osanebi won the elections outrightly but still  petitioned the process, and alleging that he  supplied false information in his form 001, 2011, 2015 and 2018 and dragged  the lawmaker  before the tribunal.

Seven issues where raised for determination and in all the issues, six were resolved against the petitioner save that the tribunal had no jurisdiction to hear the matters.

The tribunal  held that the first correspondence, Hon. Friday  Osanebi was well qualified to contest the elections and there was no reason to disqualify him as the petition sought.

The appeal judges this morning did not waste further time in upholding the tribunal's judgement saying that the application of Mr. Egwurabor lack the merit to unseat Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi; and seriously  cautioned Egwurabor Godstime.

In his reaction to the judgment, Osanebi said that it was the Lord’s doing and that all glory must  be returned to God.

With this judgement today  all litigation as regards the reelection of Rt. Hon. Friday Ossai Osanebi has ended, and the Empowerment  Master now have total focus to attend to his people.