The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Friday reserved judgment in a suit filed by Sheriff Oborevwori, the PDP governorship candidate in Delta, challenging a lower court judgment disqualifying him.

During the PDP governorship primary in May, Mr Oborevwori, speaker of the Delta house of assembly, polled 590 votes to beat his closest rival, David Edevbie, a former Commissioner for Finance who polled 113 votes.

Aggrieved by the primary’s outcome, Mr Edevbie filed a suit alleging discrepancies in Mr Oborevwori’s certificates.

He also contended that the PDP violated its constitution in the process of the state congress, which produced Mr Oborevwori.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/795/2022, the plaintiff prayed the court to restrain the PDP from forwarding Mr Oborevwori’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He also prayed the court to restrain INEC from receiving or recognising the speaker as duly nominated as the party’s flag bearer.

He further sought a restraining order barring Mr Oborevwori from parading himself as the party’s governorship candidate for the forthcoming election.

However, on July 7, Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja held that the suit was meritorious and accordingly granted the reliefs of the plaintiff against Oborevwori.

Dissatisfied, Mr Oborevwori and the PDP filed two separate appeals CA/ABJ/CV/778/22 and CA/ABJ/CV/779/22, praying the court to void the judgment of the trial court.

At the court session on Friday, parties in the suit adopted their brief of arguments and a three-member panel of the appellate court led by Justice Peter Ige reserved judgment.

Justice Ige said a date for judgment would be communicated to all parties. 

(NAN)