The Federal High Court sitting in Asaba has dismissed a suit challenging the candidacy of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant, Rt Hon Sheriff Francis Oborevwori, in the forthcoming Delta State gubernatorial election.
The suit was filed by Chief Ikie Aghwarianovwe, an aspirant under the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), who sought to disqualify Oborevwori from participating in the election. He cited alleged falsifications in Oborevwori’s date of birth and names variations in his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate.
However, the court declared the plaintiff’s action as statute barred and inconsequential to Oborevwori’s candidacy. The presiding judge also berated the plaintiff and his legal team for wasting precious court time over a matter that had already been dismissed.
The court further declared that Oborevwori’s academic certificates are far superior to constitutional requirements and of greater value than the WAEC certificate, which the plaintiff persistently attacked via series of futile legal battles.
Reacting to the judgment, a spokesperson of Delta State PDP Campaign Council, Olorogun Barr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, commended Oborevwori’s legal team for their knowledge of the law and stated that the Delta PDP governorship candidate would emerge victorious in the election with a wide margin.
The court held that the plaintiff’s suit did not disclose reasonable cause of action and therefore was defective and baseless. It further resolved that there was no evidence that Oborevwori submitted false information to INEC.
The court also resolved that the discrepancies in the year of Oborevwori’s BSC certificate – 2010 and 2009 – were explained by documents tendered by the defense, which showed that he sat for the examination in 2009 but the certificate was later issued in 2010. It also held that all evidence confirmed that Oborevwori was born in 1963 and that the Age Declaration sworn to since 1983 showed the correct date of birth.
The court stated that the plaintiff’s suit was statute barred, and it cannot go back in time to examine Form CFOO1, which was submitted in 2018, as the plaintiff has only 14 days from the date the names and particulars of the candidates are published by INEC to institute an action.
The court also noted that no court or tribunal had earlier found that Oborevwori submitted forged documents to INEC in 2018, and there was no disclaimer from INEC. Thus, it was too late to determine that now.
The judgment is seen as a significant victory for the PDP and its governorship candidate in Delta State, as they continue to prepare for the gubernatorial election.
