Controversy Trails Documents Submitted to INEC By Delta PDP Guber ‘Candidate’

The controversy surrounding the discrepancies in some documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), by the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Mr Sheriff Oborevwori, has further deepened the uncertainty over the governorship race in the state.

Court documents sighted by THISDAY, showed that after a forensic investigation of the qualifications claimed by Oborevwori, several distortions were discovered by the investigators.

It further indicated that the politician, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), may be facing a case of identity theft, impersonation and forgery.

The case questioning the veracity of the qualifications of Oborevwori, was brought before the court by one Evance Ivwurie, at the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.

The court had directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to look at the complaint and get back to it within two weeks.

The complainant noted that in the course of his advocacy for good governance, he noticed some discrepancies in the records of the defendant.

He stressed that whereas the defendant’s record with INEC showed that his claim of birth is June 19, 1963, the date of birth contained in the West African Senior School Examination Certificate (WASSCE)  of 1999 presented by the defendant was November 12, 1979.

In addition, the court documents showed that whereas the names on record with INEC were  Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhordor, the name in the said WASSCE Certificate was Oborovweri O. Francis.

The applicant argued that the above mentioned apparent discrepancies regarding the age and name in the WASSCE certificate presented by the defendant, when compared with the record of the defendant with INEC, caused the complainant to believe that a crime may have been committed by the speaker.

According to the court papers, the suspicion made the complainant to commence an investigation into the credentials of the defendant.

In the course of the investigation, the documents stated that certain students who attended Oghareki Grammar School, and graduated in 1999, the same period the defendant allegedly attended and graduated from the school, voluntarily gave statements to the investigation team and also deposed to affidavit.

“None of the students in the school remembered the attendance of the defendant in the school at any time whatsoever,” the complainant stated.

The court papers further showed that the said students in their statements and affidavits stated that the defendant was not at any time a member of their class up and until they graduated in 1999.

He further contended that forensic investigation showed that that it was not the same photograph in the school documents that was presented to INEC in Oborevwori’s submissions.

“ The defendant represented himself and stole the identity of one Oborevwori O. Francis and used the same stolen identity and false representation to become a member of the Delta State House of Assembly in 2015 and 2019,” the applicant noted.

In the meantime, the police in one of the documents, showed that they have now begun investigations into the matter.

The court materials indicated the security agencies had commenced their own forensic analysis of the photograph on Oborevwori’s WASSCE certificate submitted to INEC as well as the one on his form to the electoral body.

One of the documents showed that the police at their forensic science laboratory were examining a case of identity theft, impersonation and forgery against Oborevwori.

The security agencies are to determine if the photographs were the same and whether any of the photos were superimposed.

Aside the case of alleged fraudulent documents, a Court of Appeal in Abuja last week reserved judgement in a suit filed by Oborevwori, challenging a lower court judgement disqualifying him.

During the PDP governorship primary in May, Oborevwori had polled 590 votes to beat his closest rival, David Edevbie, a former commissioner for finance, who purportedly polled 113 votes.

Edevbie prayed the court to restrain INEC from receiving or recognising Oborevwori as duly nominated as the party’s standard bearer and a restraining order barring him from parading himself as the governorship candidate of the party in the forthcoming election.