Appeal Court dismisses LP petition against Delta lawmaker

By EUCHARIA NKEMJIKA, Asaba

The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, Edo State, has dismissed the appeal brought before it by candidate of Labour Party in the Ughelli North constituency I, Delta State House of Assembly election, Mr. Newman Akpore, challenging the election of the member representing the constituency in the House, Hon Samuel Mariere, in the 2015 general election.
Akpore had approached the appellate court after Mariere’s election at the polls was upheld by the State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal which sat in Asaba, Delta State.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa said the plaintiff did not sign the notice and grounds of Appeal as required by law, stating that the appeal in the suit number CA/B/EPT/314/2015 did not fulfill the Electoral Act.
Justice Saulawa said the appeal was, therefore, dismissed on grounds of incompetence.

Reacting to his victory at the appellate court, Hon Mariere said the will of God and the will of the people have prevailed, saying that the judgment was a testimony of his victory at the polls and wide acceptability by the people of the constituency.
While calling on Akpore and his supporters to join hands with him in the task of developing the constituency, Mariere reassured that he would not fail his constituents who voted massively for him during the election.
Noting that the time to attract development to the people through the initiation of good bills was now, he said he was determined to better the lots of the youths, women, men and elderly people in the area.
The lawmaker said with the ruling of the appeal court which has given him victory, he would now settle for his legislative works that would improve on the socio-economic lives of his constituents.
Mariere promised to continue with his empowerment programs for the people without victimization of those who did not vote for him during the election, adding that election has come and gone, maintaining that everybody must be united to move Ughelli North One constituency forward.