Why I lost at Appeal Court, by Uduaghan

Former Governor of Delta State and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Delta South Senatorial candidate in the February 23, 2019 National Assembly election, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has explained why he lost at the Appeal Court in Benin, Edo State, to his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) opponent, Senator James Manager.

The Court of Appeal had on Monday dismissed the former governor’s petition challenging the election of Manager and set aside the ruling of the Delta Election Petitions Tribunal, which earlier nullified the election in the Delta South Senatorial District.

Shortly after the Appeal Court ruling, Uduaghan accepted defeat and congratulated his opponent.

Uduaghan said he lost because the appeal panel based their judgment on the pre-election matter, which was introduced at the appellate court and was not addressed at the tribunal level.

In a statement he personally signed, which conveyed his official reaction to the judgment, Uduaghan said: “The loss at the Appeal Court today was as a result of a pre-election matter that the court entertained.

“This was a matter that was not addressed at the lower tribunal, which ought to be the first place that any prayer whatsoever relating to election matters should have been introduced. Well, the judiciary has had their say and I have accepted the outcome in good faith.

“I must put on record that it was a period of experiencing the “enemy within “at another level.”

He urged his supporters across the senatorial district not to despair with the judgment, but rather value the experience garnered throughout the electioneering period.

The former governor also stated that the legal contest has opened the frontier of peace among the different ethnic nationalities in the senatorial district and that his biggest gain from the election was the peaceful atmosphere that existed among the people of the area.

He said he had formally called his opponent, Senator Manager, to officially congratulate him on his victory at the Appeal Court in the spirit of good sportsmanship.