Delta PDP Urges Calm As Court Sacks Gov’ship Candidate

Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has appealed to its members to remain calm over the sack of its governorship candidate Sherrif Oborevwori in the 2023 general elections.

In a reaction yesterday, the party said it had engaged legal experts to study the ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The party also plans to explore grounds on which it can approach the Court of Appeal.

According to Dr. Ifeanyi M. Osuoza, the PDP state publicity secretary, said the party received the judgement of the disqualification on the grounds of discrepancies in his documents.

“We want to therefore enjoin our teeming supporters and loyal party faithful to remain calm, unperturbed, 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,“ he stated.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday disqualified Oborevwori on account of supplying false and forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in aid of his qualification for the governorship election.

The judge directed INEC and the PDP to recognise the plaintiff as the candidate for the race.

Oborevwori, who is the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, emerged the PDP candidate in the May 25 primary election.

However, Olorogun David Edevbie, a former commissioner for finance under former Governor James Ibori, who came second in the primary contended Oborevwori‘s participation in the primary on the grounds of discrepancies in his academic qualifications as well as his age.

He urged the court to bar the PDP from submitting Oborevwori’s name as the flagbearer of the party.

Defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/795/2022 were Oborevwori, the PDP and INEC as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.

The PDP candidate had used the names Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwedor interchangeably in his certificates submitted to INEC.