Edo 2020: Court Stops Obaseki From Participating In PDP Primary

A federal high court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, has ruled in favour of a suit seeking to bar Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo from participating in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary.

Obaseki had joined the PDP following his disqualification from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party under which he was elected in 2016.

Consequently, the PDP granted a waiver to Obaseki and Philip Shuaibu, his deputy, to run on its platform.

Aggrieved by the development, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, one of the PDP aspirants, filed a suit wherein he prayed the court to bar the l governor from contesting in the primary election rescheduled to hold on Thursday, June 25.

In his application, Ogbeide-Ihama argued that only aspirants who purchased the party’s nomination form and were screened within the stipulated time should be allowed to contest in the primary.

He also questioned the validity of Obaseki’s certificates; the same reason provided by the APC for his disqualification from the screening.

In his ruling on Monday, EA Obile, the judge, granted Ogbeide-Ihama’s prayer.

In the order of interim injunction, the judge ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must not recognise the governor as an aspirant until the outcome of the suit is determined.

The winner of the PDP primary will slug it out with Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who won the APC governorship ticket at the party’s primary election on Monday, in the governorship election holding September.