The Supreme Court has validated the primary election that produced Sheriff Oborevwori as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead for the 2023 election.
In the judgment delivered on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Amina Augie, upheld the decision of the court of appeal.
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The PDP governorship ticket had pitched former Governor James Ibori against Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
While Okowa backed Oborevwori, who is the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Ibori supported a protégé, David Edevbie, who came second in the 25 May primary election.
Ibori’s camp recorded a major victory when the Federal High Court in Abuja, in its 7 July judgement, sacked Oborevwori and replaced him with Edevbie as the governorship candidate of PDP in the state.
The court upheld Edevbie’s suit by disqualifying Oborevwori and declaring him not eligible to participate in the primary election.
It held that the inconsistencies in the names on Oborevwori’s certificates submitted to INEC in support of his candidacy amounted to supplying false information to the electoral body in violation of the Electoral Act.
Oborevwori however appealed against the judgement and got victory on Friday.
Edevbie served as the Commissioner of Finance in the Ibori administration.