Court Disqualifies Delta PDP Governorship Candidate, Oborevwori

metro

4 years ago

The crisis rocking the Delta state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have taking another turn as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja onThursday disqualified its state candidate for the 2023 governorship elections, Sherrif Oborevwori

Analysts said last night that the judgement delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo may have put the governor and vice presidential candidate of the party, Ifeanyi Okowa, who has been having running battle with his political godfather, and former governor of the state, James Ibori over the choice of governorship candidate for the party on a very tight rope.

Already, the party is embroiled in crisis at the Centre over the choice of Okowa as the vice presidential candidate since its May 28 presidential primary.

The court, in a judgement held that Oborevwori, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, was not qualified to participate in the election.

The verdict followed a suit that was brought before the court by an aggrieved member of the party, Olorogun David Edevbie, the preferred candidate of Ibori.

The Plaintiff had among other things, contended that the defendant was not validly nominated by his party.

He told the court that PDP violated both its constitution and the Electoral Guidelines, during its state congress that produced Oborevwori as its flagbearer for the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

Consequently, the Plaintiff, prayed the court to restrain the party from forwarding Oborevwori’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and to also restrain the electoral body from receiving or recognising him as the duly nominated candidate of s the party for the election.

More so, the Plaintiff, sought an order to restrain Oborevwori from parading or carrying himself as the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state.

Also cited as defendants in the matter were the PDP and INEC.

Meanwhile, in his judgement on Thursday, Justice Taiwo held that the suit was meritorious.

He accordingly granted the reliefs against Oborevwori.

Oborevwori, who enjoys the support of Okowa, had on May 25, been declared PDP Delta guber ticket with 597 votes, beating 13 other aspirants.

Edebvie, said to be backed by Ibori, came distant second with 113 votes.
Already there are speculations that some aggrieved members of the party, particularly, Nyesom Wike’s supporters are calling for the review of the exercise by the committee set up by the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, which recommended Wike as the choice candidate for the vice president.

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Metrobusinessnews.com reports that the party organised for the governor on his appointment as vice presidential candidate at the state headquarters recently was boycotted by some elders of the party in the state including Ibori.