Court serves INEC order on Delta PDP governorship candidacy

The Federal High Court in Abuja has served the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the order disqualifying Mr Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governorship candidate in Delta State.

The order, a copy of which was sighted by Tribune Online, directed the PDP and INEC to replace Mr Oborevwori’s name with that of the plaintiff David Edevbie, in the governorship primary that was held on May 25, 2022, in Asaba.

Edevbie came second in the keenly contested primary.

Mr Oborevwori, who is also the Speaker of the Delta House of Assembly, was accused of supplying false information and submitting forged certificates in order to take part and emerge as the winner of the PDP governorship primary in the state.

“THAT having supplied false information and submitted dubious forged credentials/certificates in order participate in and be declared the winner of the 2nd Defendant’s Delta State Governorship Primary elections which hold on 25th May, 2022, the 2nd Defendant here is legally precluded from submitting forwarding or otherwise transmitting the name of the 1st Defendant to the Jed Defendant as the candidate or flag bearer of the 2nd Defendant in the forthcoming Governorship elections in Delta State, now scheduled to hold on 11th March 2023 by the 3rd Defendant,” the order read.

The order, issued on July 7 by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, was reportedly served on INEC in its headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

The order directed the PDP and INEC to replace Mr Oborevwori’s name with that of the plaintiff, David Edevbie, who scored the second highest votes in the party’s governorship primary.

“The 1st Defendant (Mr Oborevwori) should and ought to be prohibited, prevented or otherwise restrained from holding out, parading and or advertising himself as the candidate of the 2nd Defendant (PDP) for the forthcoming Gubernatorial elections in Delta State scheduled to hold on 11 March 2023 by the 3rd Defendant (INEC),” Justice Taiwo said in the order.

Mr Oborevwori, an ally and anointed choice of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, is said to have used the names Oborevwori Sheriff and Francis Orohwedor interchangeably in his certificates submitted to INEC.

Tongues are already wagging in the state to the effect of the order sacking Mr Oborevwori, whose lawyers had already gone to the Court of Appeal, Abuja, asking the appellate court to set aside the sack order.

Information is, however, rife, suggesting that the PDP leadership in the state is on the move to effect the replacement in line with the court order to avert a possible non-participation in the 2023 governorship election.

Mr Edevbie, the man court has ordered to replace Mr Oborevwori is a prodigy of the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori.

Tribune Online recalled that the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), prior to May 25, 2022, PDP primary which produced Mr Oborevwori, had endorsed Mr Edevbie for the governorship election.

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