hello99: I am well aware of R’ Ovadya’s statement. Still, as the Chok Uz’man brings, there are 4-5 gedolei sfard including the famous chupas chasanim and R’ chayim falaji who do bring this hanhogoh l’ma’aseh. as aishes chayil brought earlier, she is personally familiar with at least one sfardi who has this hanhogoh from sfardi circles. you may be unaware that r’ ovadya’s way has been to be m’vatel completely any sfardi hanhogo he is unfamiliar with or is not part of his local mesora. the particular statement of his that you are quoting was written in response to sfardi women who WERE keeping nittel… and he wants to be mevatel the long-standing minhog by saying it wasn’t heard of. the facts remain otherwise. i personally wrote a letter to R’ ovadya and his son R’ Yitzchok asking how he could say this if there are 4-5 famous sfardi rabonim who write to keep nittel. got no response from either of them…
as far as nittel in lita, as i wrote, check out chok uz’man who seems to have seen everything in nitei gavriel, and did his own research confounding this statement of his.