The Supreme Court has affirmed the House of Representatives candidate under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Solomon Ahwinahwi as the duly nominated candidate of the party for Ughelli north, Ughelli South and Udu Federal Constituency of Delta State, for the 2023 general election.
Ahwinahwi, was the former member of the Lower Chamber, of the National Assembly (NASS), who defeated four other aspirants in the contest.
He was declared winner of the PDP primary held at the Ughelli Township Stadium, the administrative headquarter of Ughelli north local government area of the state after pulling 80 votes.
However, one of the aspirants, Chief Talib Tebite, a former Delta State House of Assembly lawmaker, was unsatisfied with the outcome of the primary election went to court to contend it.
At the hearing of the appeal on Wednesday 18th 2023, Mr Tebite’s lawyer, John Okoriko, told a five-member panel of the Supreme Court that the PDP failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Mr Okoriko argued that the PDP breached its own guidelines on the conduct of primaries.
But Mr Ahwinahwi’s lawyer, Mahmud Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), told the Supreme Court that the appellant’s suit was statute-barred.
Mr Magaji said Mr Tebite filed the suit outside the statutory 14 days of the conduct of the party’s primaries.
After listening to Messrs Okoriko and Magaji’s arguments, the Supreme Court panel led by Inyang Okoro asked the former to withdraw his client’s appeal for being statute-barred.
As Mr Okoriko laboured to sway the court to consider his client’s appeal on its merit, the panel lampooned him for failing to give the appropriate legal guidance to Mr Tebite.
Capitulating to the Supreme Court, Mr Okoriko withdrew the appeal and it was subsequently dismissed by the panel.
In a message circulating in the social media, Tebite, appreciated and called on his teeming supporters to remain calm.
“We thank God thus far for all He has done for me ,my Wife,Children, Family,Those who stood for/by me but I can’t call their names here but my God sees them and my teeming supporters across our Federal Constituency and indeed by extension Deltans and Nigerians at large…
“Please let me use this opportunity to call on the entire TAKEOVER Team and indeed the good people of Ughelli/Udu Federal Constituency to remain calm, peaceful, and to decline to react to any form of provocation that may arise from the Supreme Court withdrawal order of our case.
“It has been a long struggle to get to this point in our sustained and vigorous efforts toward giving our people of Ughelli/Udu Federal Constituency quality representation they truly deserve but which regrettably came to a conclusion today at the Supreme Court.
I salute and thank you all for your support, hard-work and perseverance. Let us then stand together as a team as an enlarged meeting of the group will be held where the decision of our next action will be made. Do not trade blames. It won’t lead to any good destination. It is also no time for mourning. After all, we all fought gallantly together.
“Our best is yet to come. So, let us face the future with pride, confidence and dignity. As long as God gives us breath, we must keep as our enduring vision alive.
“Thank you, once again.
“God bless you all.
“Hon Olorogun Taleb Tebite JP
