The Court of Appeal, Abuja Judiciary Division today Friday heard from both parties in the appeal case between Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and Olorogun David Edevbie, a former aide to President Umar Musa Yar’Adua.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Edevbie is contesting the nomination of Oborevwori as the lawful governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 governorship election in Delta.
On July 7, 2022, the Federal High Court Abuja faulted the certificates and other documents filed by Oborevwori for nomination as the governorship candidate of the PDP. In his judgment, Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Abuja High Court disqualified Oborevwori as the governorship candidate of PDP in Delta state.
Subsequently, Justice Taiwo ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP to recognise Olorogun Edevbie as the candidate of the PDP for the 2023 governorship election in the State.
The trial Judge had agreed with the plaintiff in the suit that Oborevwori ought not to be on the ballot for the PDP governorship primary election on account of supplying false and forged documents to the INEC in aid of his qualification for the governorship election.
But not satisfied with the judgement of Justice Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Oborevwori and the PDP headed to the Court of Appeal to seek redress. On August 8, 2022, the Appeal Court fixed August 19, 2022 as the date for a proper hearing of the appeal case.
At the resumed hearing at the Appeal Court, presided over by Justice Peter Ige on Friday, counsel to Oborevwori (the appellant), Mr Damian Dodo urged the court to allow the appeal in the interest of justice, stressing that the appeal has merit. Similarly, counsel to the PDP, Mahmoud Magaji told the court to set aside the judgment of the Federal High court Abuja that disqualified his client.
Meanwhile, counsel to the defendant, Mr Eko Ejembi Eko challenged the appeal and urged the court not to entertain the matter and proceed with the judgement of the Federal High court.
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After all counsels adopted their arguments, Justice Ige, leading the three-member panel of the appellate court, in his ruling, reserved judgment on the appeal filed by Oborevwori. Ige disclosed that the date for judgement would be communicated to all parties involved in the case later.
TNG reports that being a pre-election matter, the 180 days stipulated by the Constitution for adjudication of election matters as it relates to Delta state will elapse on September 5.