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Moments after the Federal High Court, Asaba delivered judgment in the Chief Cyril Ogodo v APC, national Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Prophet Jones Ode Erue, and declaring Ogodo as the authentic Delta state chairman of the party, comments have been made by those at the court.
Mr. Roland Ekpe esq., who represented the plaintiff’s lead counsel O.J Oghenejakpor Esq. and who spoke to journalists expressed satisfaction that judgment was decided in their favour.
And on the implication of the judgment, Barrister Ekpe said: “The implication is that all those persons who have emerged, their elections have a question mark. We are the authentic state executive committee. The election of Omo-Agege, for instance, is illegal.”

Chief Ogodo to whom justice has been served after a tortuous and painstaking effort at the courts, and carried shoulder high by supporters, he told journalists: “This court judgment has shown that Nigeria can still work. That there are still incorruptible judges in the judiciary of the country; that justice still abounds in this country. She is an incorruptible judge; all the intimidations and frivolous petitions against the judge, yet she still went ahead to deliver justice. Thanks tp President Muhammadu Buhari who has brought sanity into the system.”

For Prof. Pat Utomi, who by the judgment is now the authentic governorship candidate of the APC in Delta State said: “I feel that the rule of law can still be observed in Nigeria. Today has given us an opportunity to begin a new Delta, to create and build a party that is inclusive, that is committed to the service to the people of Delta, and that will give people confidence that if you do the right thing, you will get the product at the end. This means that I am the authentic governorship candidate.
“What happened before was ultra vires; it does not stand, and from that position, we will work to change our state. The party structure will be fortified in the exco that we have to essentially deliver progress to the people of Delta state. We will consider all the possibilities.”
One of the counsels who represented Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) the defence counsel, Dr. Nwachukwu Okubor said with the judgment of the court, “we will study it and hopefully we will appeal. I am confident that the appeal will be favourable.”
And for Mr. Turner Ogboru, younger brother to Chief Great Ogboru, whose governorship candidature was by implication declared illegal,did not take the judgment kindly. Speaking with anger and high emotions, Turner said: “The judgment is void ab initio. She (the Judge) cannot seat as court of appeal over a fellow Federal High Court. And she cannot nullify primaries conducted by the national Working Committee (NWC) of the APC to rebels. The beauty of our jurisprudence is that the first court has its right but you have the upper court to correct a lower judge.”
For Turner Ogboru, “there was no dependable document to make her reach this decision; her judgment is void ab initio.There is a Federal High Court subsisting judgment, which has not been set aside. It is a consent judgment; no appeal has been done against that judgment,” Turner said.