By MERCY NEME

A former Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, says Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment on the Electoral Act did not disqualify him from contesting the 2027 Delta Central Senatorial election.

This is contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Mr Godwin Anaighe, on Saturday in Asaba.

Omo-Agege, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Delta Central, said the judgment did not make any order against him or pronounce him ineligible to contest the 2027 election.

According to him, the Supreme Court only restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which concern party membership registers and candidate nomination.

He described as misplaced the celebration by supporters of Sen. Ede Dafinone, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, who, according to him, were congratulating their candidate over the judgment.

Omo-Agege said his name was contained in the NDC membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before May 10 and appeared on the commission’s published final list of candidates.

“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,” he said.

Omo-Agege said turning the judgment into an announcement that he was out of the race amounted to political propaganda rather than an accurate representation of the court’s decision.

He said he remained focused on the 2027 contest in Delta Central, urging his political opponents to campaign on their records and programmes.

“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.

Omo-Agege said the people of Delta Central would make their choice at the appropriate time, adding that political celebrations could not replace the electoral contest. (NAN)