Court Refuses to Bar Obaseki From Edo PDP Guber Primary
A federal high court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has refused to stopped Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki from participating in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary.
The PDP had given Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shuaibu, a waiver to run on its platform after he had defected to the PDP following his disqualification from the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, also a governorship aspirant in the PDP, who vowed not to step down for Obaseki, instituted the suit, and prayed the court to stop Obaseki from participating in the primary on the grounds that he (Obaseki) recently joined the party and that only those who purchased the forms during the stipulated window before the waiver granted Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shuaibu, who recently defected from the APC should be allowed to partake in the primaries.
He also questioned the validity of Obaseki’s certificates, the same reason provided by the APC for his disqualification from the screening.
He also prayed among others an order of interim injunction restricting INEC from further recognising Obaseki as candidate of the party’s primary, pending the determination of the suit.
The judge E. A Obile, however, did not grant the prayer. The judge asked the motion seeking to bar Mr Obaseki be served on the defendants including Mr Obaseki via newspaper publication.
