A Federal High Court in Abuja has voided the nomination of Sheriff Oborevwori as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in a judgment yesterday, held that Oborevwori (the current Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly) was unqualified to have been so nominated, having supplied false and forged documents about his age, academic qualifications and identity to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to aid his qualification for the 2023 governorship election.
The judge ordered the PDP and INEC to replace Oborevwori with David Edevbie as the party’s candidate for the 2023 governorship election in Delta State.
Edevbie was the Commissioner of Finance during the tenure of former Governor James Ibori.
Oborevwori, who came second at the May 25, 2022 primary election of the PDP in Delta had, in a suit, queried Oborevwori’s participation in the primary.
He claimed that there were discrepancies in Oborevwori’s academic qualifications and age.
Read Also: Court sacks 20 Cross River lawmakers over defection
The plaintiff also claimed that the Speaker used the names – Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwedor – interchangeably in the certificates he submitted to INEC.
Justice Taiwo, who upheld the plaintiff’s claims, granted most of the reliefs sought, 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 governorship election in Delta State, scheduled to hold on March 11, 2023, by INEC.
The judge granted the following reliefs, among others:
* A declaration that the Oborevwori is not qualified to participate and/or be declared the winner of the PDP Delta State governorship primary election which held on May 25, 2022, for the purpose of electing its candidate or flag bearer in the forthcoming 2023 governorship election in Delta State, scheduled to hold on March 11, 2023 by the third defendant.
*A declaration that, having supplied false information and submitted dubious or forged credentials/certificates in order to participate in and be declared the winner of the PDP governorship primary election in Delta State, which held on May 25, 2022, the PDP is legally precluded from submitting, forwarding or otherwise transmitting the name of the first defendant (Oborevwori) to the third (INEC) as the candidate or flag bearer of the second defendant (the PDP) in the forthcoming governorship election in Delta State, scheduled to hold on March 11, 2023 by the third defendant.
Also, the Delta State chapter of the PDP has said it will challenge the court verdict disqualifying Oborevwori.
In a statement yesterday in Asaba, the state capital, by its Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, the said legal experts had been engaged “to critically study the ruling and explore grounds on which we can confidently approach the Court of Appeal”.
The party said it was in possession of the court judgment, urging party faithful to remain calm.
The Delta PDP said it was convinced that justice will ultimately prevail at the Appellate Court
“We want to, therefore, enjoin our teeming supporters and loyal party faithful to remain calm, unperturbed, and law-abiding. We assure them that we are quite confident in our conviction that justice will be done and we will get judgment at the Appellate Court,” it added.