Court Affirms Sheriff As Delta State PDP Governorship Candidate

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has declared Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwedor as the Delta State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 governorship election.

The apex court made the pronouncement while delivering judgment in an appeal filed by a PDP gubernatorial aspirant, Mr. David Edevbie, challenging the emergence of Oborevwori as the PDP candidate.

READ ALSO: Appeal Court in Delta State reserves judgement on Oborevwori/Edevbie

The lead judgement was prepared and read by Justice Tijani Abubakar, while Justice Amina Augie presided over the 5-man panel of Supreme Court Justices.

Justice Abubakar held that the Court of Appeal was right to hold that the suit of Mr Edevbie was wrongly commenced by way of originating summon rather than by writ of summons.

“On the hold, I find no merit in the appeal, and it is hereby dismissed and the decision of the court  is hereby affirmed” 

In his appeal, Mr. Edevbie, alleged that Oborevwori submitted false and forged documents to the PDP to aid his qualification to contest the election expected to hold March 11, 2023.

He informed the court that Oborevwori had in an affidavit he deposed to, claimed that he was born in 1963, different from a West African Examination Council, WAEC, certificate he issued indicating that he was born in 1979.

The Appellant insisted that all the documents Oborevwori tendered to PDP in support of his qualification to contest the election, did not match his name at birth.

Edevbie, also contended that the case provided a unique opportunity for the Supreme Court to make a pronouncement on “the new legal regime introduced by section 29(5) of the Electoral Act, 2022”.

In its judgement Friday, the apex court held that, the allegations raised by the Appellant before it, was rooted in criminality and therefore must be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

The court noted that in view of “sundry allegations of fraud, false representation and forgery of documents” raised against Oborevwori, the Appellant, ought to have commenced his action through a Writ of Summons that would have allowed the trial court to adjudge the matter through oral and documentary evidence.

It held that Mr. Edevbie allegations against Oborevwori could not be resolved through affidavit evidence or Originating Summons.

More so, the Apex court, held that Edevbie’s case was premature as PDP had not submitted Oborevwori’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before he filed the suit.

Counsel to Sherrif Oborevwori Mr. Damian Dodo SAN expressed happiness with the judgment.

N.O