Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, CFR, and
the APC believe in the justice system's ability to uphold fairness and justice.
We await the tribunal's verdict on the 2023 Delta State governorship election.
Omo-Agege, CFR, as a responsible citizen, respects the pivotal role played by
the courts in ensuring justice and that is why they filed their petition at the
Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to challenge the governorship election
results.
His faith in the judiciary's
impartiality and courage is bolstered by his familiarity with legal
proceedings. This emphasizes the judiciary's crucial role in maintaining
electoral integrity. Omo-Agege's concerns centre on the 2023 Delta State
election and how it was conducted by INEC. He believes it is the duty of the
judiciary to rectify any flaws and uphold the transparency promised by the 2022
electoral law.
His ultimate goal in pursuing this
legal course is to enhance democracy by ensuring that electoral processes are
fair and unbiased, accurately reflecting the will of voters. As political
scientist Adam Przeworski noted, democracy thrives when parties respect
electoral laws. Ending single-party dominance is essential for a thriving
democracy, and a viable opposition is integral to societal growth and
development.
The events in Delta State on March 18th
raise a fundamental question: Can a political party truly claim victory when it
avoids defeat by resorting to undemocratic means to manipulate, diminish, or
overturn its loss? Delta State serves as a stark reminder of the undemocratic
depths to which a party may sink to retain power when its hold on power is
threatened.
They manipulated the election through
figure manipulation, making judicial avenues the most realistic recourse for
contestants seeking electoral accountability. In such circumstances, the
judiciary becomes the last bastion of hope. It is the judiciary that can
address the root cause of democratic unresponsiveness: electoral fraud.
Ovie Omo-Agege and the APC are
primarily concerned with the violation of crucial provisions of the 2022
Electoral Act, specifically the use of BVAS for accreditation. They contend
that the bypassing and non-use of BVAS machines in accrediting voters in the
polling units won by Sheriff Oborevwori and the PDP substantially undermined
the integrity of the results announced by INEC. This, they argue, severely
discredits the governorship election results.
While Sheriff Oborevwori and the PDP
are reportedly preparing for a possible rerun election due to unfavourable
circumstances, Ovie Omo-Agege and the APC do not seek election nullification.
They firmly believe that the All Progressives Congress deservedly won the election,
based on available statistics. As such, they are demanding the outright
declaration of Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, CFR, as Governor-elect of Delta State.
According to the 2022 Electoral Act, a
rerun is typically ordered in cases where election materials did not reach
polling units. In addition, voting did not occur due to uncontrollable
circumstances. However, a rerun should not be considered in cases where the
electoral process was deliberately abused by electoral officers and party
agents who bypassed the BVAS machines meant for voter accreditation.
On the authority of the 2022 Electoral Act used by INEC for the 2023 general
election, any polling unit with over-voting due to non-usage of BVAS
accreditation machines should have its results cancelled. Ordering a rerun
election under such circumstances would be against the spirit of the law and
tantamount to rewarding criminality.
In alignment with the Rational Choice
Theory (RCT) of crime, individuals intentionally commit crimes when they
perceive it to be more rewarding and less costly than adhering to noncriminal
behaviour. Deliberately refusing to use BVAS accreditation machines constitutes
a crime that should not go unpunished.
The demand placed before the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal
is unequivocal: for the sake of preserving the sanctity of future elections,
the judiciary must refrain from rewarding electoral crimes. Consequently, the
tribunal should outrightly declare Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, CFR, as
Governor-elect of Delta State.
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