A Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria, has disqualified a candidate for the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta state Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori, from contesting the 2023 governorship election in state.
Justice Taiwo Taino in a judgment delivered in Abuja, agreed with the plaintiff Mr. Olorogun David Edevbie, a former Commissioner of Finance under former Governor James Ibori, that Oborevwori, ought not to be in the 2023 governorship election for the PDP in Delta state on account of allegedly supplying false and forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in aid of his qualification for the governorship election.
The judge subsequently directed INEC and the PDP to recognize the plaintiff as candidate of the PDP in the 2023 governorship election in Delta State.
Oborevwori who is the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly had emerged candidate of the PDP in the May 25 primary election of the party.
However, Olorogun David Edevbie, a former Commissioner of Finance under former Governor James Ibori, who came second in the primary had contended Oborevwori’s participation in the primary on the grounds of alleged discrepancies in his academic qualifications as well as his age.
He specifically urged the court to bar PDP from submitting Oborevwori’s name as the flagbearer of the party.
Defedants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/795/2022 are; Oborevwori, PDP and INEC as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.
The PDP candidate had used the names Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwedor interchangeably in his certificates submitted to INEC.
Among the reliefs sought by the plaintiff are a declaration, “that the Oborevwori is not qualified to participate and/or be declared the winner of the PDP Delta State Governorship Primary elections which held on May 25, 2022 for the purpose of electing its candidate or flagbearer in the forthcoming 2023 Gubernatorial Elections in Delta State, scheduled to hold on March 11, 2023.”
Justice Taiwo in his Judgment granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiff except relief four which sought the prohibition, inhibition, prevention or otherwise restraining Oborevwori from holding out, parading and or advertising himself as the candidate of the PDP for the forthcoming Gubernatorial elections in Delta State scheduled to hold on 11th March, 2023 by the 3rd Defendant.
Emmanuel Ukoh
