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Tag: David Edevbie

  • Okowa makes mind blowing revelations, dismisses claims he betrayed the South

    Okowa makes mind blowing revelations, dismisses claims he betrayed the South

    The immediate past Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has dismissed claims he betrayed the Southern region of the country in events leading up to the 2023 presidential election.

    Dr Okowa was speaking with senior journalists recently when he said he made some mind-blowing revelations of all that transpired prior to the February presidential election.

    Addressing issues, the immediate past Delta State Governor responded to claims of betraying the South by accepting the position of Vice-Presidential candidate after hosting a meeting of Southern governors.

    Okowa said: “I don’t think there was any betrayal, people give the wrong communication. In the first instance, the meeting we held in Asaba never talked about the issue of a southern president. The meeting we held in Asaba was to discuss the issue concerning herdsmen and the need to find a stop to it and I agree that the question was that they knew if they brought the meeting to Delta with my person all sides will come.

    “But it was actually the meeting in Lagos but people just misconstrue the two. It was in a follow-up meeting in Lagos that the issue came up and it was not actually part of our agenda but we did not know people had their own views, you know politics was coming.

    “When we had finished, under ‘Any other business’ the matter was thrown up and we just found that a lot of us were ambushed but a majority actually had their way…I don’t want to relate it to partisan politics now because some people in the PDP had supported it.

    “And then the issue came out and it was introduced first by the governor of Ondo state supported by the governor of Ekiti state and then it followed through and then one or two PDP people also made their comments. But for us, we could see that that matter had been discussed before, and it is part of politics though and we let it go.

    “Of course, when the majority says this is what they want…because for us in the PDP, I’ll tell you the truth behind the whole thing. If you’re going to back a situation, you must ensure that that situation is right for your party and that was the question I raise when people say it was a betrayal – there was no point where we said everybody agreed 100 percent or we were going to go this way.

    “I belong to the PDP and for me as a person and for the majority of the people in the PDP, they believed that our pathway to victory was to have a northern candidate and a southern vice. Why?

    “Because we were not a majority. I want to give you the reason. If within the northern part where you have the greater population – we had only 5 governors in the PDP and the APC had 14 governors – if you throw up a southern president we would have lost the north totally and there was no just way we were going to progress – that is politics as different from sentiments.

    “And then if we took a northern president probably the issue of this north vs south, we would have been able to douse it in our own political reasoning and then we could fairly compete in the south.

    “That was our reasoning at that time and we felt that, first we had to get back to power in the presidency and we thought that was the pathway to it. In the south here, we had eight governors in the PDP.

    “When we sat down, our analysis was that the best pathway to the presidency was to have a northern candidate probably to reduce the effect of the massive votes for the APC in the north as we saw in 2015 and 2019, and then struggle for positions in the south and get to where we were going to get.

    “The only thing that turned our reason back was when Obi came out from the south east and there were a lot of feelings, sentiments that came in among the Christians. I want to be very frank with you, among the Christian population, that caused a huge number of Christians that we were going to go for a southern Christian president which impacted very strongly in the southeast and in the south-south; and these two zones are mainly PDP and it ate very deep into our votes in the Southeast and in the South-South and that is what led to the loss of the elections.

    “So, sometimes in politics it is not about sentiments, it is about planning and political mathematics. If there was no Labour Party and we presented a Southern candidate and the APC presented a Southern candidate, we would just have kissed the election goodbye because they had the strength to overwhelm us in the North.

    “But the Christian and Southeast votes which were mainly votes that came in  on sentiments ate very deeply into the PDP and our initial calculation failed.

    “So, we were thinking politics. So, truly that the decision was taken in Delta State was not true. It was in Lagos and the decision that was taken here for which the meeting was called to host them to enable all governors come was to discuss the issue of grazing and how to stop it. It was when we took the second meeting in Lagos that the issue of Southern presidency came. I don’t want to go to the depth of that discussion because I know that a few of us were ambushed.

    “Indeed, there was no way the issue of Southern presidency could have been discussed between APC and PDP sitting in a meeting. Politics is not played that way. After all, you don’t discuss with your opponent on where to pick your candidate.

    “It couldn’t have been possible for me to sit with APC to say ‘where are you taking your candidate from, ok, I will take my own from there.’

    “It is never done and that is why I used the word ambush.

    “When I heard the response from Chief E.K. Clark I responded that I respect their opinion, but the question is that they belong to a group and I belong to the PDP and I have consented to be a member of the PDP. So, my first interest, yes thinking about Nigeria as number one, but the next is about the interest of the PDP, not the interest of APC, neither I will serve the interest of any other group.

    “I have already committed myself to the PDP, it is the interest of the PDP that I needed to serve. If I find it that I cannot serve the interest of the PDP I will exit. That’s the body I belong to and that is the body I will have to listen to in my political journey and when I am tired of listening to that body I will exit”.

    On the state of his relationship with former Governor James Ibori, especially over the 2023 Governorship election in Delta, Okowa revealed how he [Ibori] worked against the PDP and why he rejected Olorogun David Edevbie.

    Okowa said: “I don’t like to talk about it but obviously there’s no doubt that we didn’t work together. The former governor worked for the APC in the governorship, we went into the primaries not agreeing on the same candidate, we talked about it but he did not want to shift grounds on his candidate, that’s the truth and I did not agree with that candidate for basic reasons which I made clear enough to him and also to his own candidate.

    “I did not hide it, till tomorrow I speak about it in truth not because I thought I was a god that needed to install somebody. David (Edevbie) is my friend. We were with the former governor in his tenure together as commissioners but in 2014 when it became obvious that it was the turn of the Delta North, Delta Central and Delta South had had their turns and I heard that David was going to run and he was indicating interest.

    “I went from Abuja with three of my friends to visit him in Lagos and I said ‘David, please, it’s only fair, I know that there are so many people competing but I’m coming to you as a friend. It will not be fair if you run. Gov James Ibori has been there Gov Uduaghan has been there, it’s obviously the turn of the Delta north, why don’t you allow us to have our space so that we can all be said to be part of the state.

    “Thereafter we can all work for you to become governor’

    “He came to meet me in the hotel even though I wanted to meet him in his home. It was a one and a half hour meeting and at the end he said ‘I will not run anymore, I will support you’. I thanked him and left back to Abuja and we continued and I found that because Delta North people had felt it was their turn because that was the impression we were given, there were so many of us in the race, about 15 of us.

    “And then suddenly, next thing we heard was that they had endorsed David but this same David had committed himself to me so we went into the race, very tough race but God enabled me to win. I didn’t take it strongly, we had all worked together and I won the election and he became my commissioner for finance.

    “So in the second year I started hearing that he was holding meetings in Lagos and occasionally in Benin and other places where they were already prepping him to be governor without anybody discussing with me and that meeting continued.

    “In the first instance, he did not want the zoning to Delta North so if the zoning was going to continue, he’s my friend but he shouldn’t be the one to benefit from the zoning he did not want. Because then without mincing words, I got a delegation from the Ijaws who backed me and said ‘because of what the Delta central did this to you, why would we not do it to them, why don’t we support somebody from somewhere else’ and I saw that was politics.

    “Me I believe in what is just and I told them outrightly it will be difficult to do what you asked for because if God eventually enabled me to be governor to complete this tripod, it’s best for us to allow God’s will to continue.

    “It’s very unfortunate, I thank you for what you did for me but luckily even as they worked for me, I never made a commitment that I will make anybody governor because I’m careful in what I do so it will be difficult for me to support someone outside central but my only mindset is that somebody who did not believe in the zoning cannot be the one to benefit from it and I made it clear to the former governor.

    “That’s how we continued. So the only time he wanted us to sit down to discuss it was about 12 days to the election primaries when he wanted us to come up with a new candidate but that time I had already started supporting him (Sheriff Oborevwori). I told him sir, I though we discussed initially and you were not ready to move from where you stood, it was just this person and nobody else, it will be difficult for me a few days to the primaries to tell the person I am supporting, stop I am no longer supporting you. I am not used to that kind of politics in my life. I don’t know what the people will call me.

    “And you know David came to me and I told him how you made a commitment to me (2014) and you didn’t return to me only to see you as my strongest contender as we moved into the primaries! If there was no conversation, no visit, I wouldn’t have…but we sat together and you made a commitment and you just turned round without recourse to me. I think he just felt that it was victory already for him, so there was no point talking to me. But it was not about me, it was about Delta North people. Today, everybody feels, we are all part of the system because everybody has been part of the process”.

    Assessing INEC’s conduct of the 2023 presidential election, Okowa said: “I think INEC did a great work ahead of the election and they raised the hopes of Nigerians and the global community and I believe that they tried to that extent.

    “The chairman and his team were under pressure and it appeared to us that they were able to hold back the pressure as they moved in and ensured with civil society that they got the legislations passed. They improved on the previous card reader that we had and even improved on the BVAS.

    “So, we all thought that they were going to give us their best, even though it may not be fool-proof. And they worked hard. They had conversations, they spoke to the parties and they spoke to Nigerians but suddenly as we approached the election and on election day, we were told the server was no more working.

    “The law as it is written by INEC was very clear, you are to use your electronic transmitted figures to compare every manual result because they were supposed to go hand in hand, right from the RAC right to the Local Governments to the States and then to the federal level; but suddenly the server didn’t work anymore that day. It’s funny.

    “So, that extent is it a question of a failed process. I don’t think the process failed, I think the process was manipulated. We believe so but they didn’t want to tell us all the truth.

    “As we know the law as it is written (just that we may not be bold enough to interpret the law), if you realise that it failed, you should have postponed the elections. But by insisting, something must have gone wrong. Either there was internal sabotage or there was an internal collusion, it is just one of the two”.

  • Delta PDP: Edevbie’s group warns against divisive antics

    Delta PDP: Edevbie’s group warns against divisive antics

    Delta Unity Group (DUG), a pressure group within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State has warned against divisive antics in the party.

    The group, loyal to Olorogun David Edevbie, an aspirant for the PDP governorship ticket in Delta, sounded the note of warning while flagging off a complementary campaign in Ethiope West Local Government at Oghara on Monday.

    Speaking at the event, the National Chairman of DUG, Rt. Hon. Peter Onwusanya debunked the trending reports that Edevbie had endorsed the governorship candidate of the party, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.

    Flagging off the sensitisation and mobilisation of the grassroots across the State ahead of the 2023 elections, Onwusanya said: “the PDP constitution encourages us to carry out these duties, which enhance internal democracy and sustain our vice grip of governance in the State”.

    Speaking further, he said: “Our presence here today is to interact with and encourage our members to enlighten the people at the grassroots to collect their PVCs and vote for our candidates at all the elections that will take place in 2023.

    “We are fully committed to the ideals of the PDP and we are playing complementary roles to ensure the party triumphs at the forthcoming elections”.

    Onwusanya encouraged members to be steadfast and undeterred to the ideals of democracy and mobilise the grassroots to get their PVCs.

    Meanwhile, in Sapele, Sapele Local Government, Onwusanya enjoined the local government and ward executives and members of DUG to remain active in the mobilisation of the electorate for the tasks ahead.

    “We have a leader who formed the PDP in 1998 in Delta State. DUG is working and cannot be excluded in the affairs of the party,” Onwusanya said, adding that DUG is fortified to deliver during the forthcoming elections.

    Speaking on the alleged endorsement of Oborevwori at Afiesere by Edevbie, Onwusanya said it was a calculated lie tailored to deceive the discerning public, adding that nothing of that nature took place and that Edevbie did not give anybody his mandate to “wedge kola” at the alleged ceremony.

    Warning against evil propaganda that could cause internal crisis within the party, Onwusanya urged all DUG members and the public to discountenance the spurious agenda-setting propaganda of people with unclear intentions.

    “Olorogun David Edevbie is a respected member of the PDP and has no personal issues with Sheriff and our Vice Presidential Candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa. At the right time, Olorogun David Edevbie will personally make a statement moving forward,” he said.

  • Delta PDP: Of Bruised Egos, Vaunted Ambitions; Armageddon and Peace – By Mideno Bayagbon

    Delta PDP: Of Bruised Egos, Vaunted Ambitions; Armageddon and Peace – By Mideno Bayagbon

    The Supreme Court judgment last Friday, which affirmed The Right Honourable Sheriff Oborevwori, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State, has brought some calm and opened two new doors. One to peace and the other to possible fragmentation and implosion. The first door is the possibility that the judgement will strengthen the various attempts to mend the fences of the warring parties and enthrone a mutually beneficial, cohesive peace. The other door is for both sides to stick uncompromisingly to deeply held positions, add fuel to the already flowing bad blood among the two major camps, ignite it and tear the party to shreds.

    The two camps, that of former Governor James Ibori, before now the undisputed leader, and demigod of the party in the state; and that of outgoing Governor and former godson of James Ibori, Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, are at crossroad. They can choose either the part to mutual immolation or mutual survival. The two camps have been in a war of attrition, of supremacy, over who should decide who succeeds Okowa as governorship candidate of the party.

    Nevertheless, the door, which it seems, they are currently exploring, from feelers I get from both sides, is that of peace. There seems to be concerted efforts to resolve the agro, soothe bruised egos and chart a common ground, without which the 23 years reign of the party in the state could come to an angry end.

    Papered over in the last two years, the misgivings in the party nevertheless blew open, early this year, into a rupture of cataclysmic dimension. First, Governor Okowa was accused of attempting to breach the unwritten rotation agreement among the three senatorial zones in the state. Rotation of the governorship seat had started with James Ibori from Delta Central. Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, from Delta South took over from Ibori and eventually, Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta North, who  is the outgoing occupant of the office. Though an Urhobo, the majority ethnic group in the state, Ibori, who instituted the rotation, had felt that without such an arrangement, other zones of the state might find it difficult to become governor of the state.

    In the seething, suspicious atmosphere in the party, the first open threat was when the Ijaws of Delta South, with the seeming, tacit support of Governor Okowa, started a campaign to have one of their own as governor. Their claim was that there was nothing like a  written rotation agreement. This was a-later-day position which Governor Okowa was also trying to canvass. The Ijaws said if there was anything like a rotation agreement, it should be among ethnic groups and not senatorial districts.

    The arrowheads of this was four times Senator, James Manager and the Deputy Governor to Okowa, Kingsley Otuaro. Both of them Ijaws were early entrants into the race. There are precedence to this: other ethnic groups, despite the rotation agreement have always contested for the position. But the unwritten agreement usually triumphs because whoever the governor is, his support is usually for the zone whose turn it was. Okowa, however, was seen to be against the majority Urhobo ethnic group who constitute Delta Central and whose turn, by the unwritten agreement, it is to produce the governorship candidate of the PDP.

    But the kernel of the quarrel and the division which emerged in the party was Okowa’s resolve never to support David Edevbie, the preferred candidate of James Ibori. His reasons I can reveal are many. The major one, however, is a lack of  trust. Ibori’s attempt to persuade the governor fell on ears already made up. Ibori too was uncompromising. For him, it is either Edevbie or it is Edevbie. Okowa decided to be his own man and chose to support Sheriff Oborevwori, an Urhobo effectively enthroning the rotation but on his own terms.

    Seen as an affront, and a demystification of Ibori as the leader of the PDP in the state, the die was cast. Attempts by the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, leadership aligning with Ibori to have Edevbie as the preferred Urhobo candidate, a snub on the Speaker, Oborevwori; and other attempts by some groups favourable to Edevbie’s candidacy, met a brick wall. Even the externalisation of the quest  and rivalry to the national level, into national PDP and the Atiku Abubakar group, yielded no immediate beneficial results to have Edevbie as candidate. The resort to the courts, with more than 15 court cases, to thwart Oborevwori’s candidacy on the unproved allegations that he was an illiterate who parades certificates that are not his have all failed. It was one victory after the other for Oborevwori.

    Then the Supreme Court judgement which finally laid to rest the opposition within the party. Two divergent pathways opened. And the Ibori and Edevbie camp have offered an olive branch in the congratulatory message by Edevbie to Oborevwori. His support groups have all also extended congratulatory messages. But of course this seeming about turn is not a surprise. It is the open arm of the hidden reconciliation meetings that have been going on. Before the judgement, both of them had, through back channels of mutual communication, agreed on the path of peace and reconciliation. It had been agreed that no matter the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement, both teams will sheathe their swords, put aside their personal disappointments and work in the interest of the party.

    Knowing that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the Deputy Senate President and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, himself a god-son of Chief Ibori, is waiting in the wings to reap from the fractious goings on in the PDP, and given that both Ibori who is a very close ally of the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and Governor Okowa, the vice presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar would not want to lose the state in both the presidential and governorship elections, the path of reconciliation was the only viable option.

    Commended is His Royal Majesty, Orhue 1, the Orodje of Okpe, the foremost traditional ruler in Urhobo land and chair of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council.

     

    Mideno Bayagbon: mideno@thenewsguru.ng

  • Edevbie group disappointed with Supreme Court judgement

    Edevbie group disappointed with Supreme Court judgement

    Delta Unity Group, a political group in support of Olorogun David Edevbie has expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court judgment that affirmed Chief Sheriff Oborevwori as the duly nominated candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 governorship election in Delta State.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Publicity Secretary of Delta Unity Group, Sir Sunny Areh as saying the numerous supporters of Olorogun Edevbie earnestly wished the judgement had gone in his favour, adding that Edevbie’s vision holds a much more viable option in making Delta greater.

    In a statement released on Saturday, Areh, however, disclosed that Delta Unity Group accepts the verdict of the apex court, adding that the judgement brings to an end the quest by Edevbie to serve the State.

    The statement reads: “On Friday, at the Supreme Court, the final step in determining who will fly the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was taken with the verdict going in favour of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.

    “As the final arbiter in our country, the judgement brings to an end the quest by Olorogun David Edevbie to serve our dear state, Delta, after next cycle of general elections in 2023. Although we are disappointed with the judgement having firmly believed that the grounds of appeal are plausible, as democrats, we wholeheartedly accept the verdict.

    “The exercise was a noble one, inspired by the belief that Edevbie’s vision holds a much more viable option in making Delta greater. We hold the judiciary in very high esteem and the Supreme Court has acquitted itself honourably and we take the verdict on good faith. We congratulate Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and wish him well.

    “To the numerous supporters of Olorogun Edevbie who earnestly wished the judgement had gone in his favour, we thank you immensely for your unwavering commitment to his vision of building a modern Delta State. We urge our teeming supporters to remain in high spirits and calm as our leaders evaluate and Guide Us forward. God bless you all and God bless our dear Delta State”.

  • UPDATE: How Oborevwori defeated Edevbie at the Supreme Court

    UPDATE: How Oborevwori defeated Edevbie at the Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori as the bonafide candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 governorship election in Delta State.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Justice Tijjani Abubakar delivered the lead judgement that squashed the case brought by Olorogun David Edevbie before the five-man panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Amina Augie.

    In the lead judgement, Justice Abubakar ruled that the apex court saw no reason to set-aside the Court of Appeal’s verdict that upheld Chief Oborevwori as the duly nomination candidate of the PDP for the 2023 governorship election in Delta.

    Edevbie had urged the Supreme Court to uphold the judgment of the Federal High Court which declared him the PDP candidate while Sheriff Orohwedor on his part pleaded with the Apex Court to endorse the Court of Appeal which voided the decision of the high court.

    Edevbie, on 23 grounds of appeal, faulted the entire unanimous decision of the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Peter Ige and asked the apex court to hold that he is the rightful candidate of the PDP in the Delta State governorship election slated for February 2023.

    The appeal filed by his lawyer, Mr Eko Ejembi Eko has Oborevwori, the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents, respectively.

    Recall that the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division had restored the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly as the governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2023 governorship election in the state.

    The judgment of the Court voided and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court which had, on July 7, 2022, nullified his nomination on grounds of certificate forgery and perjury.

    Justice Ige, who delivered the judgment of the Appellate court, held that claims against the Speaker were criminal in nature and must be proved beyond reasonable doubts.

    The Appellate Court also held that  Edevbie, who filed the suit at the Federal High Court, ought to have approached the court via Writ of Summons to enable resolution of disputes and not by originating summons where only affidavit evidence is required.

    Justice Ige said, the allegations of certificate forgery and faking of documents against the Speaker were such that required witnesses from those who issued the certificates and the alleged fake documents.

    The court, therefore, upheld the victory of the Speaker at the May 25, 2022 primary election where he polled 590 votes to defeat Edevbie who polled only 113 votes to come second.

    Justice Ige held that Justice Taiwo Taiwo’s judgment, which upheld certificate forgery against the Speaker, was a miscarriage of justice because the criminal allegations were not established as required by law.

    On Friday, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision by the five-man panel led by Justice Augie dismissed the appeal that was lodged against Oborevwori by Edevbie, putting the case to rest finally. The apex court held that allegations the Appellant raised before it was rooted in criminality and therefore ought to be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

    It noted that in view of “sundry allegations of fraud, false representation and forgery of documents” raised against Oborevwori, the Appellant, ought to have commenced his action through a Writ of Summons that would have allowed the trial court to adjudge the matter through oral and documentary evidence.

    It held that Edevbie allegations against Oborevwori could not be resolved through affidavit evidence or Originating Summons.

    More so, the apex court, held that Edevbie’s case was premature as PDP had not submitted Oborevwori’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before he filed the suit.

    “Only upon the submission of particulars of a candidate to INEC by a political party will a cause of action crystallize”.

    “In conclusion, I found no merit in this appeal and it is accordingly dismissed”, Justice Abubakar held.

  • BREAKING: Oborevwori defeats Edevbie at Supreme Court

    BREAKING: Oborevwori defeats Edevbie at Supreme Court

    Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori has floored Olorogun David Edevbie at the Supreme.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the Supreme Court on Friday declared Oborevwori as the bonafide governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State.

     

    Details shortly…

  • BREAKING: Supreme Court reveals date to deliver judgment on Edevbie vs Oborevwori

    BREAKING: Supreme Court reveals date to deliver judgment on Edevbie vs Oborevwori

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed October 21 to deliver judgment on the case between Olorogun David Edevbie and Chief Sheriff Oborevwori over the tussle for the Delta State governorship ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 elections.

    Edevbie on one hand is urging the Supreme Court to uphold the judgment of the Federal High Court which declared him the PDP candidate and Oborevwori on his part is pleading with the Apex Court to endorse the Court of Appeal which voided the decision of the High Court.

    Edevbie, on 23 grounds of appeal, faulted the entire unanimous decision of the three-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Peter Ige and asked the apex court to hold that he is the rightful candidate of the PDP in the Delta State governorship election slated for February 2023.

    The appeal filed by his lawyer, Mr Eko Ejembi Eko,SAN, has Oborevwori, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents, respectively.

    The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division had restored the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly as the governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2023 governorship election in the state.

    The judgment of the Court voided and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court which had, on July 7, 2022, nullified his nomination on grounds of certificate forgery and perjury.

    Justice Ige, who delivered the judgment of the Appellate court, held that claims against the Speaker were criminal in nature and must be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

    The Appellate Court also held that Edevbie, who filed the suit at the Federal High Court ought to have approached the court via Writ of Summons to enable resolution of disputes and not by originating summons where only affidavit evidence is required.

    Justice Ige said, the allegations of certificate forgery and faking of documents against the Speaker were such that required witnesses from those who issued the certificates and the alleged fake documents.

    The court, therefore, upheld the victory of the Speaker at the May 25, 2022 primary election where he polled 590 votes to defeat Edevbie who polled only 113 votes to come second.

    Justice Ige held that Justice Taiwo Taiwo’s judgment, which upheld certificate forgery against the Speaker, was a miscarriage of justice because the criminal allegations were not established as required by law.

  • 2023: Ibori, Edevbie urged to sheathe their swords, support Oborevwori

    2023: Ibori, Edevbie urged to sheathe their swords, support Oborevwori

    Former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, former aide to former President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, Olorogun David Edevbie and their supporters have been called upon to sheathe their swords and support the candidacy of Chief Sheriff Oborevwori.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the immediate past President-General of Okpe Union (Worldwide) and Pioneer Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Okpe LGA, Delta State, Chief Robert Onome made the call on Tuesday while speaking with newsmen in Warri.

    Appealing to Chief Ibori, Olorogun Edevbie and their supporters, Chief Onome noted that in Delta Central, the Ughelli and Ethiope axis has produced past governors and deputy governors, among them Jereton Mariere, Demas Akpore and Felix Ibru, Amos Utuama, SAN from the Ughelli axis and Ibori from the Ethiope federal constituencies.

    “Since the ruling party, PDP in the state has zoned the 2023 governorship to Delta Central, equity, justice and fair play demand that the other federal constituencies such as Ethiope, Ughelli and others that have benefited should also consider Okpe and support Oborevwori having emerged from the party primaries as certified by INEC for the plump seat,” the PDP chieftain said.

    According to him, the PDP guber candidate, Oborevwori stands a chance of clinching between 45 and 80 per cent votes of each of the councils in the forthcoming elections hence there was a need for all and sundry to bury their hatchets, work in synergy with a view to deliver the candidate of the party come 2023.

    Following the PDP governorship primary election in Delta, Edevbie, reportedly backed by Ibori, has contested the credentials submitted by Oborevwori in court. Recently, an Abuja Appeal Court overturned a judgement passed in favour of Edevbie, who is now headed to the Supreme Court.

  • 2023: What Oborevwori said after victory over Edevbie at Appeal Court

    2023: What Oborevwori said after victory over Edevbie at Appeal Court

    The Court of Appeal on Monday reinstated the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Sherrif Oborevwori as the lawful governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the appellate court in a unanimous judgment by a three-man panel led by Justice Peter Olabisi Ige vacated the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja that disqualified Oborevwori.

    The High Court judgment had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Olorogun David Edevbie as the rightful candidate of the PDP for the governorship election in Delta slated for March 11, 2023.

    However, the Appeal Court held that the High Court wrongly relied on originating summons Edevbie brought before it to disqualify Oborevwori on the premise that he tendered forged certificates to INEC.

    Delivering the judgement, Justice Ige noted that the allegations Edevbie raised against Oborevwori “were deeply rooted and founded in criminality”. He stressed that in view of the contentious nature of the allegations, they ought to have been proved beyond a reasonable doubt at the trial court.

    According to the appellate court, trial Judge, Taiwo Taiwo of the lower court erred when he granted all the reliefs Edevbie sought in his suit, without recourse to evidence of witnesses that would have included institutions that awarded certificates to Oborevwori.

    “Facts were irreconcilably in conflict and could not have been resolved without oral evidence”, the appellate court held, adding that the burden of proof in the matter was on the 1st Respondent, Edevbie.

    “There is no scintilla of evidence on record to prove that the Appellant tendered forged certificate to the INEC”, the appellate court added.

    It further held that Edevbie’s legal action was premature as Oborevwori’s name had not been submitted to INEC by the PDP as at the time it was filed.

    The appellate court held that preconditions stipulated in sections 177 and 182 (j)of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as section 29(5) of the Electoral Act, must be met before the right of any aggrieved aspirant to approach the court to challenge the validity of particulars submitted to INEC by any candidate, could crystallize.

    It held that the 1st Respondent did not in the entire spectrum of his suit, pinpoint how the PDP breached either the Electoral Act or the 1999 Constitution, as amended, in the governorship primary election it conducted on May 25.

    More so, the court held that in the event that the case of the 1st Respondent succeeded, he would not be the beneficiary of the judgement as his political party, PDP, would have been disqualified.

    “The decision of the lower court was perverse and it is accordingly set aside. The appellant’s appeal is hereby allowed,” the court held.

    Reacting to the Appeal Court judgement in a Press Statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Dennis Otu, the Speaker who is also the National Deputy Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, said he has always had confidence in the Nigerian Judicial system.

    “I have implicit confidence in our judicial system as it remains the last hope of the common man and I am so glad with the judgement of today. I commend the Judiciary for this judgement. To God be the glory,” he said.

    The Speaker who polled 590 votes to pick up the Delta State PDP governorship ticket at the Wednesday, May 25th, 2022 gubernatorial primaries held in the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba also said that; “Today, the Appeal Court, Abuja has given judgement in my favour.

    “This victory at the Appeal Court today is dedicated to our Almighty God and to all Deltans. This is our victory and it is for all of us because we are one family. Therefore, let us put the past behind us now and join forces together towards winning the main general elections for PDP in 2023”.

  • BREAKING: Oborevwori defeats Edevbie, affirmed PDP guber candidate in Delta

    BREAKING: Oborevwori defeats Edevbie, affirmed PDP guber candidate in Delta

    Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevori has won the appeal filed against the ruling of the Federal High Abuja that disqualified him as the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the Federal High Court Abuja had on July 7, 2022 disqualified Oborevwori as the lawful candidate of PDP for Delta and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP to recognise Olorogun David Edevbie as the candidate of the party.

    Not satisfied with the Abuja High Court judgement, Oborevwori and the PDP headed to the Court of Appeal to seek redress. On August 8, 2022, a three-member panel of the Appeal Court led by Justice Peter Ige sat on the matter and fixed August 19, 2022 for proper hearing of the appeal case.

    On August 19, after counsel adopted their arguments, Justice Ige reserved judgment and disclosed that the date to pass the judgement would be communicated to all parties involved in the case later.

    On Monday, 29 August, the case was called at the Appeal Court for judgement. Delivering the judgement of the three-member panel, Justice Ige ruled that the allegations of fraud such as fake documents can not be resolved by originating summon.

    The Appeal Court also ruled that the case of forgery cannot be decided by affidavit evidence, with the court also ruling that the suit ought to have been commenced by writ of summons and not originating summons.

    The court also held that since the matter is founded on the presentation of forged documents, it will require the calling of witnesses. The court also held that the cause of action of David has not crystalized for the court to assume jurisdiction and that originating summon was wrongly done.

    The Appeal Court also held that the lower court had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit and further held that the right of Edevbie to approach the court can only accrue when INEC publishes the personal particulars of Oborevwori and that Edevbie’s case was not ripe because Sheriff’s name has not been sent to INEC.

    The court also held that the Federal High Court misconstrued the provisions of Section 29 of the Electoral Act and that the reasoning of the Federal High Court on the interpretation of Section 29 is erroneous.

    “The judgement of the learned trial court is erroneous and is null and void as it was done without jurisdiction. Issue one is resolved in favour of the appellant,” the Appeal Court rules.

    TNG reports that judgement was still ongoing at the time of filing this report.