The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has ordered a substituted service on the Delta State governor-elect under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Sheriff Oborevwori, and candidates of other political parties in the March 18 governorship poll.
The order comes at the heel of a suit challenging their eligibility to contest the just concluded governorship election in the State brought before the court by the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi,
Amongst those also to be served are the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ovie Augustine Omo-Agege, that of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru and their counterpart in Labour Party (LP), Ken Pela.
The Tribunal has also granted that the defendants be served with Gbagi’s petition through substituted service on the notice board of the tribunal, which has been complied with in Asaba, the State capital.
Gbagi, who made this shortly after the tribunal granted the application, said the trial has commenced in earnest for them to show cause that the evidence as contained in his petitions is to the contrary.
The order of the tribunal followed an ex parte application moved by Chief Chris Uche, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Gbagi’s counsel.
The senior lawyer had specifically sought the leave of the tribunal to serve the notice of substituted service on the walls of the notice board of the tribunal on the Defendants by substituted means after all efforts to serve them directly failed.
According to him, “What has played out is that, in the last nine and 10 days, efforts to serve these petitions on the runaway faceless candidates have resulted into so much futility in that they have been hiding.
“They have come up with various excuses as some of them are abroad, and some of them disappeared into thin air.
“The tribunal faced with time issue has today, granted the application asking that these characters be served these petitions on the notice board of the tribunal.
“By singular arrangement, the trial in earnest has begun for them to show cause that those evidence as contained in those petitions are to the contrary.
“There is no need to run. It is a thing of joy that the tribunal has heeded substituted service which is now and has been pasted on the notice board of the tribunal in Asaba,” he added.
