Court Disqualifies Oborevwori as PDP Governorship Candidate, Recognizes Edevbie
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, has disqualified Sheriff Oborevwori, the candidate of the Delta State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 governorship election.
Delivering judgement, Justice Taiwo agreed with the plaintiff that Oborevwori, ought not to be on the 2023 governorship election for the PDP 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 currently Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and preferred candidate of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who is now the PDP vice presidential candidate. He emerged candidate of the PDP in the May 25 primary election for the selection of its governorship flag bearer, with David Edevbie coming second.
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.
Among the reliefs sought by the plaintiff are a declaration, “that 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 by the 3rd defendant.”
