After series of legal battles and tussle, the Supreme Court on Friday has affirmed Sheriff Oborevwori as the authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State.
In the judgement delivered by a five-member panel, the apex court unanimously held that there was no merit in the suit filed by David Edevbie with respect to the Delta PDP governorship tussle.
In the lead judgement delivered by Tijjani Abubakar, the Supreme Court upheld the legal reasoning of the Court of Appeal that the suit ought not to have been commenced by originating summons.
“I find no merit in this appeal and it is hereby dismissed. The decision of the Court of Appeal delivered on 29 August is hereby affirmed,” the Supreme Court held.
The apex court held that the Federal High Court erred in law when it granted an order nullifying the nomination of Oborevwori PDP’s governorship candidate for next year’s governorship election in Delta State.
It would be recalled that PDP had submitted the particulars of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori, as its governorship candidate in Delta state.
Sheriff was declared winner of the May 25 PDP governorship primary, however, a former Chief of Staff to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, David Edevbie, challenged Oborevwori’s victory at an Abuja High Court and sought his disqualification, alleging discrepancies in the certificates he presented.
Edevbie, in a suit number marked FHC/ABJ/CS/715/2022 told the court that there were inconsistencies in the names on the academic certificates submitted by Oborevwori to INEC.
Subsquently the Federal High Court, Abuja on Thursday granted an order compelling PDP and INEC to disqualify Oborevwori on the grounds of some discrepancies in his academic qualifications.
The judge, Justice Taiwo Taiwo held that Oborevwori was not eligible to contest the election because he supplied false information to INEC to back his nomination as his party’s candidate.
However, the Court of Appeal voided and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court which had, on 7 July 2022, nullified Mr Oborevwori’s nomination on grounds of certificate forgery and perjury.
