Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo‑Agege, has clarified that the Supreme Court’s recent judgment on the Electoral Act does not bar him from contesting the 2027 Delta Central senatorial election. The statement, released by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Mr Godwin Anaighe, on Saturday in Asaba, emphasises that the court’s ruling did not issue any order against the NDC candidate.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday, restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026. These provisions relate to party membership registers and the nomination of candidates. “The Court ruled on the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act; it did not issue a candidate‑specific ruling against Omo‑Agege,” the senator said.
Omo‑Agege confirmed that his name was listed in the NDC membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the May 10 deadline, and that he appears on INEC’s published final list of candidates for Delta Central.
“Turning the judgment into an announcement that I was out of the race amounts to political propaganda rather than an accurate representation of the court’s decision,” Omo‑Agege said. “If Dafinone wants the Senate seat, he should come to the field with his record, his programme and his arguments for another term.”
He criticised supporters of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Senator Ede Dafinone for celebrating the court’s decision, describing the celebration as misplaced. Omo‑Agege urged his opponents to focus on their records and programmes, adding that the people of Delta Central will make their choice when the time comes and that political celebrations cannot replace the electoral contest.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
