Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has refused to bar Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, from participating in Thursday’s Peoples Democratic Party governorship primaries in the state.
A PDP governorship aspirant, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, has, in suit No:PHC/PH/CS/09/2020, challenged the Edo governor’s eligibility to participate in the governorship primaries and vowed not to step down for him.
Ogbeide-Ihama had argued that Obaseki did not purchase the PDP nomination form or undergo screening within the time-table schedule.
Justice E. A Obile, however, did not grant the aspirant’s prayer, asking that the motion seeking to bar the governor from the contest be served on all defendants, including Obaseki, via newspaper publication.
The suit, which had Prince Uche Secndus, Emmanuel Ogidi, Kingsley Chindah , James Manager, Barrister Ajibola Muraina, PDP, INEC and Godwin Obaseki as defendants, was adjourned for Wednesday, June 24, 2020.
Governor Obaseki joined the PDP after a he finally fell out with the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and the party that brought him to power.
The crisis climaxed with the disqualification of the governor from participating in the party’s primary election ahead of the governorship poll over alleged discrepancies in his credentials.
Obaseki was last Friday granted a waiver by the PDP National Working Committee to contest the Edo governorship primaries after he defected to the main opposition party.
The NWC said the action is pursuant to Section 29(2)(b) of the PDP constitution and in exercise of the powers of the National Executive Committee under Section (50)(3)(b) of the PDP constitution.