By Festus Ahon

ASABA—THE Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo State, has dismissed the petition before it by the Delta Central senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Halims Agoda, in the 2015 general election against Senator Ighoyota Amori of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Ighoyota Amori

Dismissing the appeal in the unanimous judgment, Justice H. Barka, held that the use of manual accreditation was legal, adding that card readers were meant to complement manual accreditation. Barka said, over voting could only be said to have taken place if the number of votes cast was more than what was in the voters register and “not card readers.”

On the allegation of violence during the election, the judge said the petitioner could not prove his case and declared that “INEC complied with the electoral law in the conduct of the election of March 28 and April 25 in the Delta Central senatorial district election.”

Reacting to the judgement, Senator Amori thanked God whom he said, gave him victory at the poll and the tribunal.

Describing the judgment as total victory for the Urhobo nation, Amori thanked the people for their support and prayers during and after the election.

He pledged not to betray the confidence reposed on him by the people and called on his opponents to join hands with him in the task of developing the Delta Central senatorial district and putting the Urhobo nation in its right place of pride in the politics of the country.

It will be recalled that the election petition tribunal at Asaba had upheld the election of Senator Amori which prompted the petitioner to go the appeal tribunal to challenge the judgement of the lower tribunal.