Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has rejected claims that the Supreme Court’s judgment on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 disqualified him from contesting the 2027 Delta Central Senatorial election.
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In a statement issued on Saturday, September 26, by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Mr Godwin Anaighe, Omo-Agege said the judgment neither made an order against him nor declared him ineligible to contest.
Omo-Agege, identified in the statement as the NDC candidate for Delta Central, was responding to interpretations of Thursday’s ruling which, according to him, had prompted celebrations among supporters of Senator Ede Dafinone, the All Progressives Congress candidate.
He maintained that those celebrating had confused a ruling on electoral provisions with a decision on his individual nomination.
According to the statement, the Supreme Court restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, concerning party membership registers and candidate nomination.
“The distinction is straightforward: The Court ruled on the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act; it did not issue a candidate-specific ruling against Omo-Agege,” the statement said.
His response places the dispute over his candidacy within the wider controversy surrounding the implications of the ruling for political parties and their nominees ahead of the 2027 elections. Omo-Agege’s position is that the restoration of the provisions should not be presented as a judicial declaration removing him from the race.
Addressing his compliance with the membership requirements, he said his name was included in the NDC membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission before May 10. He also maintained that his name appeared on the commission’s published final list of candidates.
These were the grounds on which he rejected suggestions that the judgment had ended his senatorial ambition, describing such claims as political propaganda rather than an accurate account of the court’s decision.
Omo-Agege also criticised the celebrations he attributed to Dafinone’s supporters, insisting that the contest for Delta Central should be fought on the candidates’ records and proposals for the constituency.
“If Dafinone wants the Senate seat, he should come to the field with his record, his programme and his arguments for another term,” he said.
The former Deputy Senate President maintained that he remained focused on the election and urged his opponents to present their programmes to voters.
He added that the people of Delta Central would determine who represents them at the appropriate time, insisting that political celebrations could not replace the electoral contest.
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