- APC’s Omo-Agege, Others Make INEC List.
Inter-party intrigues and raging legal battle have left the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) without a governorship candidate in Delta State till date, ahead of next year’s general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revealed this much on Friday, hinting that PDP’s participation in the 2023 governorship election in Delta looks dicey.
In a development that has left the Delta PDP in limbo, the commission failed to publish the particulars of any aspirants of the PDP for the Delta governorship election — Sheriff Oborevwori and David Edevbie as both men have continued to fight dirty over the sole slot.
On the other hand, INEC published the particulars of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege alongside other guber candidates and their running mates, The New Diplomat reports.
Speaking on the development, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Monday Udoh-Tom told newsmen on Friday, that the commission will not recognise any candidate from the PDP until the courts take a final decision on the party’s authentic candidate for the polls.
“We have no particulars of any candidate for PDP as far as the governorship is concerned because they are in court.
“It is when the matter is determined that we will now have the particulars of one of them.
“You will recall that there was a court judgment that disqualified one of them, and he filed for stay of execution and also appealed the judgment.
“As a result, we cannot act on the case of the PDP for now until the Appeal Court delivers judgment,” Udoh-Tom said.
It would be recalled that PDP had submitted the particulars of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Oborevwori, as its governorship candidate in Delta state.
Oborevwori 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.
But it’s not only Oborevwori that has been ruled out, Edevbie who came second in the Delta governorship primary is also said to have been ruled out, at least for now.
However, many have traced what could be best described as a stalemate in the Delta PDP to the proxy war between incumbent Delta Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and his predecessor and PDP heavyweight, ex-Governor James Ibori.
Okowa favours Sheriff to succeed him, but Ibori has been rooting for Edevbie since the primary, with the duo’s camps amassing heavy legal war chest to implement their wish. The uncertainty has left the raging question on the lips of Delta electorate and political watchers: Will the PDP have a governorship candidate in Delta to do battle with APC’s Omo-Agege in 2023?
