Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo, presiding Judge of the Federal High Court Sitting in Abuja, has disqualified Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Oborevwori as the Delta State Peoples Democratic Party Governorship candidate for the 2023 general elections and declared David Edevbie, who came second in the May 25, 2022 Delta PDP Guber Primaries, as the new Candidate of the party.
Rt. Hon. Oborevwori was disqualified by the Court on the grounds that there were discrepancies in his documents and the presiding ruled that ruled that the plaintiff, David Edevbie had proved the case of these discrepancies beyond reasonable doubt.
All the prayers sought by the plaintiff are listed below as follows:
- A DECLARATION that the 1st Defendant is not qualified to participate and/or be declared the winner of the 2nd Defendant’s Delta State Governorship Primary elections which held on 25th May, 2022 for the purpose of electing its candidate or flagbearer in the forthcoming 2023 Gubernatorial Elections in Delta State, scheduled to hold on 11th March, 2023 by the 3rd 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 2nd Defendant’s Delta State Governorship Primary elections which held on 25th May, 2022, the 2nd Defendant herein is legally precluded from submitting, forwarding or otherwise transmitting the name of the 1st Defendant to the 3rd Defendant as the candidate or flagbearer of the 2nd Defendant in the forthcoming Governorship elections in Delta State, now scheduled to hold on 11th March, 2023 by the 3rd Defendant.
- A DECLARATION that the Plaintiff who, next to the ineligible and unqualified 1st Defendant, scored the highest number of valid votes cast at the Delta State Governorship Primary elections of the 2nd Defendant which held on 25th May, 2022, ought to and should be returned and declared the winner of the 2nd Defendant’s Governorship Primaries and, accordingly, returned as the candidate of the 1st Defendant for the forthcoming Governorship elections in Delta State scheduled to hold on 11th March, 2023 by the 3rd Defendant.
- A DECLARATION that the 3rd Defendant is legally precluded or prohibited from accepting or receiving from, acting on or otherwise recognizing or giving effect to the name of the 1st Defendant as the candidate or flagbearer of the 2nd Defendant for the forthcoming Gubernatorial elections in Delta State now scheduled for 11th March, 2023 by the 3rd Defendant.
- AN ORDER of this Honourable Court disqualifying the 1st Defendant from participating as the candidate of the 2nd Defendant in the forthcoming 2023 Gubernatorial elections in Delta state, scheduled for 11th March, 2023 by the 3rd Defendant.
- AN ORDER of this Honourable Court commanding, directing or otherwise mandating the 2nd and 3rd Defendants to replace, forthwith, the name of the 1st Defendant with that of the Plaintiff as the lawful candidate of the 2nd Defendant for the forthcoming Gubernatorial elections in Delta State, now scheduled for 11th March, 2023 by the 3rd Defendant.
Meanwhile the Delta State PDP has reacted swiftly to the Federal High Court ruling by calling on its members to remain calm, as it’s lawyers scrutinize the ruling, with the intent to explore possible grounds for Appeal, even as it has assured it’s teeming faithful that there’s no cause for alarm.
This admonition was contained in a Press statement, signed by the state publicity Secretary, Delta State PDP, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, which reads:
PRESS STATEMENT
7TH JULY, 2022
DELTA 2023: ABUJA FEDERAL HIGH COURT RULING, DELTA PDP CALLS FOR CALM
Delta State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has received the judgement of an Abuja Federal High Court, against our Gubernatorial Candidate for the 2023 general elections, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on the grounds of discrepancies in his documents.
We have already engaged our team of legal experts to critically study the ruling and explore grounds on which we can confidently approach the Court of Appeal.
We want to therefore enjoin our teeming supporters and loyal party faithful to remain calm, unperturbed, and law-abiding, and assure them that we are quite confident in our conviction, that justice will be done and we will get judgement at the Appellate Court.
There is no cause for alarm.
PDP! Power to the People!!
Dr. Ifeanyi M. Osuoza
State Publicity Secretary,
PDP, Delta State.
It will be recalled that Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori won the PDP governorship primary in Delta State, scoring 590 votes against David Edevbie, who polled 113 votes, in an exercise that was adjudged by party members and Delta political watchers, to be free, fair, transparent and very credible.
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