Delta PDP Governorship Tussle: ALGON Chair Faults Court Judgment

Funmi Ogundare

The Chairman of Ika North-east and ALGON Chairman, Delta State, Mr. Victor Ebonka, yesterday, expressed dismay that the court tried and disqualified Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori from participating in the forthcoming 2023 governorship election based on mere affidavit assertions rather than trying it beyond reasonable doubt.

 Oborevwori was disqualified as the governorship candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) following the allegations of certificate falsification and forgery that were leveled against him in a suit filed by his closest rival in the contest for the party’s ticket, Senator David Edevbie,

Edevbie, who came second in the May 2022 governorship primary election of the party in Delta State, had pointed out inconsistencies in the names on the academic certificates submitted by Mr. Oborevwori to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to back his candidature for the next year’s election.

According to Ebonka, who was a guest on The Morning Show on Arise TV, said: “It is the law that when allegation of crime is made in civil proceedings, it must be proven beyond reasonable doubt to the Supreme Court for an issue such as this and that is completely lacking in their case.”

He stated that the High  Court conclusion on the issue that the WAEC result was forged was hasty, adding that  Oborevwori had in 2003 deposed to an affidavit correcting the irregularities on the certificate.

“Is there any provision of the law that there is an age limit that anyone can sit for an examination or pursue his educational career? No!”

He regretted that the court went ahead to deliver a perverse ruling on it and that the case must be set aside.

“There are other flaws in that case and an allegation of fraud has also been made on the basis of mere assertion in the originating summon. The law is that an allegation of fraud must be proven beyond reasonable doubt,” he said.

But he was countered by a former Special Adviser to former Delta State Governor, Mr. Evance Ivworie, who was also a guest on the show.

Ivworie said: “Oborevwori did not defend the weighty allegations leveled against him. The court spent time on the technicalities of WAEC result and right now, the technicalities have suffered a major technical accident. The case is now in the Court of Appeal, but before us, there is no stay of execution. What we have is a notice of appeal. It bothers me like every Nigerian that Barrister Ebonka will be on national television to talk on the issue when this is not a court. He is a lawyer and should go to the court and defend the issue very properly.”

He described as a big shame that the two major institutions in Nigeria meant to strengthen democracy, namely PDP and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), would flout the order of a court of competent jurisdiction in the country that Sen. David Edevbie should be recognised as the candidate of the party.

“It’s a very explicit judgment,” he said