TheCable

A federal high court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, has stopped Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo from participating in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary. 

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

The PDP had also given a waiver to Obaseki and Philip Shuaibu, his deputy, to run on its platform.

However, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, one of the PDP aspirants, filed a suit that the governor is stopped from contesting in the primary election rescheduled to hold on Thursday, June 25.

In his filing, Ogbeide-Ihama said 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 request.

In the order of interim injunction, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was also asked not to recognise the governor as an aspirant until the determination of the suit.

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