By Ogochukwu Isioma
In a major development, the Delta State governorship election was being reset on Thursday after
A Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, Thursday declared David Edevbie as candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the governorship election coming up in 2023.
The court also disqualified the speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, who returned as the party’s candidate at the Primaries.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo who ruled on the application said that Sheriff was not qualified to have contested based on the issues associated with his documentation.
It is a major upset in Delta politics as Sheriff was backed by the outgoing governor while Edevbie was backed by Chief James Ibori, the penultimate governor of the state.
The prayers with the notable exception of Prayer four were granted by the court to Edevbie against Sheriff, who won the PDP governorship primary for Delta State by a landslide.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. A DECLARATION that the 1st Defendant should and ought to be prohibited, inhibited, prevented or otherwise restrained from holding out, parading and or advertising himself as the candidate of the 2nd Defendant for the forthcoming Gubernatorial elections in Delta State scheduled to hold on 11th March, 2023 by the 3rd Defendant.
5. 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.
6. AN ORDER of this Honourable Court disqualifying the 1st Defendant (Sheriff) from participating as the candidate of the 2nd Defendant (PDP) in the forthcoming 2023 Gubernatorial elections in Delta state, scheduled for 11th March, 2023 by the 3rd Defendant.
7. 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.
The emergence of Edevbie could either bring healing to the PDP in Delta or cause further acrimony based on how the mainstream of the party which had backed Sheriff takes the court judgment.
•Additional report: GWG.NG
