The Supreme Court judgment delivered on Wednesday in Abuja recognising the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates as against those of the “Legacy Group” for the forthcoming general elections has been described as a case of no victor, no vanquished.
Deputy Governor of the State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, stated this in a statement issued in Benin City on Wednesday and signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Ebomhiana Musa, in reaction to the apex court’s verdict.
MetroWatchXtra had reported how the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by the Chief Dan Orbih’s faction of the PDP in Edo State, arising from the conduct of the party’s primary elections.
A five-member panel of the apex court held that the appeal filed by Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama was incompetent having been hinged on issues that did not form part of the judgment of the Court of Appeal which he had appealed.
Justice Centus Nweze, in the lead judgment, held that an appeal must be based on issues contended at the lower court to qualify for a review.
The judgment puts to rest the dispute in Edo PDP over which faction conducted a valid primary, from which the party’s authentic candidates emerged.
Reacting, Shaibu said: “I want to see the judgement delivered today by the Supreme Court as a case of no victor, no vanquished. This is because PDP is one family in Edo State”.
“What brought us to this point was a mere family issue. Going forward, we shall all go back home and work together as a family to deliver all our candidates, from top to bottom in the forthcoming general election.
“The Supreme Court has given its own verdict, as a family, we shall go home and resolve ourselves. As I said, it’s a family affair.”
