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As Court Of Appeal Reserves Judgment
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Says Obi Factor Mustn’t Be Ignored
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Commends INEC’s Innovation, Says Days of Ballot Box Snatching Are Over
As the Court of Appeal reserves judgment in the case between Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and Chief David Edevbie over who the authentic Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Delta State is, a chieftain of the party, Olorogun Fred Majemite has said that a final judgment of the court in the matter will place PDP in a better position for the 2023 election.
Majemite who spoke to The New Diplomat in an exclusive interview in his country home, Ughelli recently, noted that the matter could not be resolved out of court at the early stage because of the various interest involved and the weight of allegations, adding that it was already too late to withdraw the case from the court for out of court settlement.
He however said that PDP remains one family, pointing out that at the end of the day, whoever emerges victorious as the governorship candidate of the party from the ongoing court case, other members of the party will queue behind him and ensure that the party wins the guber election in 2023 just as he added that Delta State is PDPs.
“I think that the way it is now, it will be near difficult to now say let’s settle the matter out of court in the sense that we have exposed ourselves too much. So, it is imperative that we should allow the court to decide whether or not, the winner actually has the qualification for the job.
This is because if we don’t wait for the outcome of the court, chances are that our enemies may cash in on it tomorrow. And that will be more dangerous for us. But the moment the matter is settled in the court, then, of course, that will be final.
“Either way the judgment of the court goes, in the end, it will make the party stronger because the opposition can no longer capitalize on it anymore. Once the court decides, there will be reconciliation and so whoever emerges now will be everybody’s candidate, otherwise, we may just allow the state to slip off our hands and if that happens, it becomes dangerous. But we cannot afford to lose the state to any other party, more so that the governor who is the vice-presidential candidate of the party is from the state.
“The only problem I’m having at the moment is that some of the supporters of the feuding parties are taking this matter too far. We are one family; we should be discussing issues, not the persons involved. We should let our supporters know that after the storm, comes calm. We don’t need to fight ourselves because there is a greater fight coming ahead. The main election is coming. By the time we dissipate our energy in fighting ourselves, it will become difficult to fight our enemies. But as for the attempt to withdraw the matter out of court, I think we have passed that stage. However, I can assure you that Delta State is PDP and PDP it will remain”, Majemite said.
On the seeming threat posed by the Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi to the chances of other parties, Majemite warned that the ‘Obidient Movement’ must not be swept aside, pointing out that the rate at which Nigerian youths mobilized to register for Voters’ Card recently was a pointer to the fact that they want to make a statement in the 2023 election with a view to changing the narrative.
The Ughelli-born PDP chieftain who also contested the governorship primary in the state, therefore advised his party to work hard to avoid any disappointment from any other party in the 2023 governorship in the State, adding that PDP cannot afford to lose.
“The Obi issue cannot be swept aside like that. It is like a movement. People are now enlightened and they are getting wiser every day. You can imagine the number of people who came out to register for their PVC. That is to tell you that so many people now want to play a role, they want to vote.
“And whether you like it or not INEC has improved so much in the voting process. Gone are the days of ballot box snatching or writing of results. And some people are saying that Obi has no structure, what is structure? How many party leaders come out to vote? If you see people coming to vote for the Labour Party, that means the man has a structure. We must put all this into consideration while doing our business as a party”, he advised.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has reserved judgment on the appeal filed by Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori challenging the Abuja Federal High Court judgment which nullified his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate in the party’s primary.
The three-man panel led by Justice Peter Ige, at the resumed hearing on Friday, August 19, 2022, after counsel for both parties adopted their brief of argument, declared that judgment is reserved to a later date, adding that the parties will be communicated to when the panel is ready.
