By Emma Amaize

ASABA-DELTA State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, yesterday, asked  the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, to dismiss the petition against him by the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, governorship candidate in the last governorship election in the state, Chief Great Ogboru, on the grounds that Ogboru had abandoned the said petition.

Uduaghan made the plea in an application by his counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, (SAN)  arguing that the petitioner’s reply  to his reply to the petition, was not filed within the time frame, contemplated by paragraph 16 (1) of the First Schedule of the Electoral Act.

PDP counsel and that of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, did not object to the dismissal of the petition based on the argument by Uduaghan’s counsel.

The tribunal, meanwhile, ordered the counsel to make available the authorities they cited in respect of their cases, while the panel adjourned till July 4, to rule on whether or not to dismiss the petition.