Delta 2023: Court of Appeal reserves judgement in Oborevwori’s suit challenging his disqualification

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday reserved judgment in a suit filed by Sheriff Oborevwori, the PDP governorship candidate in Delta challenging a lower court judgment disqualifying him.

During the PDP governorship primary in May, Oborevwori, speaker of the Delta house of assembly, polled 590 votes to beat his closest rival, David Edevbie, a former Commissioner for Finance who polled 113 votes.

Aggrieved by the outcome of the primary, Edevbie filed a suit alleging discrepancies in Oborevwori’s certificates.

He also contended that the PDP violated its constitution in the process of the state congress, which produced Oborevwori.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/795/2022, the plaintiff prayed the court to restrain the PDP from forwarding Oborevwori’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He also prayed the court to restrain INEC from receiving or recognising Oborevwori as duly nominated as the party’s flag bearer.

He further sought a restraining order barring Oborevwori from parading himself as the governorship candidate of the party for the forthcoming election.

However, delivering a ruling on July 7, Taiwo Taiwo, trial judge of a Federal High Court in
Abuja held that the suit was meritorious and accordingly granted the reliefs of the plaintiff against Oborevwori.

Dissatisfied, Oborevwori and the PDP filed two separate appeals CA/ABJ/CV/778/22 and CA/ABJ/CV/779/22, praying the court to void the judgment of the trial court.

At the court session on Friday, parties in the suit adopted their brief of arguments and a three-member panel of the appellate court led by Justice Peter Ige, reserved judgment.

Justice Ige said a date for judgment will be communicated to all parties.