Omo-Agege Clarifies Supreme Court Ruling: 'Not Disqualified' for 2027 Election!
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has clarified that a recent Supreme Court judgment on the Electoral Act does not disqualify him from the 2027 Delta Central Senatorial election. He dismissed claims to the contrary as political propaganda, asserting the ruling was not candidate-specific against him and only restored relevant sections concerning party membership and nominations. Omo-Agege remains focused on his campaign and urged opponents to focus on their records.
Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has issued a definitive clarification regarding the recent Supreme Court judgment on the Electoral Act, asserting that the ruling does not bar him from contesting the 2027 Delta Central Senatorial election. In a statement released on Saturday in Asaba by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Mr Godwin Anaighe, Omo-Agege, who is the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Delta Central, emphasized that the judgment neither issued any order against him nor declared him ineligible to participate in the upcoming election.
According to Senator Omo-Agege, the Supreme Court's decision primarily focused on restoring specific sections of the Electoral Act 2026. These reinstated provisions include Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7), and 84(2), which are pertinent to party membership registers and the fundamental process of nominating candidates. He underlined that the court's ruling was concerned with these statutory provisions and was not a candidate-specific judgment targeting him personally.
Omo-Agege also strongly dismissed the celebrations by supporters of Senator Ede Dafinone, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, who had been congratulating their candidate over the judgment. He characterized these celebratory claims that the judgment had removed him from the race as political propaganda, rather than an accurate and truthful interpretation of the Supreme Court's decision. He further affirmed that his name was duly included in the NDC membership register, which was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the May 10 deadline, and subsequently featured on the commission’s officially published final list of candidates.
Maintaining his unwavering focus on the 2027 senatorial contest in Delta Central, Senator Omo-Agege urged his political opponents to base their campaigns on their verifiable records, articulated programmes, and persuasive arguments. He challenged Senator Dafinone, stating, “If Dafinone wants the Senate seat, he should come to the field with his record, his programme and his arguments for another term.” Omo-Agege concluded by stressing that the ultimate decision regarding their preferred candidate would rest with the people of Delta Central when the appropriate time comes, highlighting that political celebrations cannot supplant the democratic process of an electoral contest.