Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
Never before has the Delta State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship nomination process been as difficult as it is now.
Governor James Ibori’s handling of the 2006 primary process gave the appearance that it would be simple, but it actually resulted in some acrimony, as shown by the elder statesman Chief E. K. Clark’s admission that Ibori’s backing of Dr. Emmanual Uduaghan over their preferences prompted him and some of the top candidates to compile and present incriminating documents against Ibori to President Olusegun Obasanjo and the EFCC, which started the travail
The 2014 primary was not without its challenges, but the party’s key players—including Ibori—were able to defend Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa in the face of Uduaghan’s efforts to force a different candidate on the party.
The primary in 2022, however, has a problem. There is a serious objection to the candidate’s qualification, as stated by the Federal High Court, Abuja, but Governor Okowa appears to be persevering, despite the fact that he used the party apparatus to force his favored candidate, contrary to the spirit in which he was elected in 2014.
The governor and his side are upset with Olorogun David Edevbie for bringing the alleged errors in Oborevwori’s documents to judicial examination while Okowa is insisting on Sheriff Oborevwori, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, whose documents are being contested in court. Members of the party are now deeply divided as a result.
When examining the conflict, it is important to acknowledge that there are requirements for running for office set down in the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution and the Electoral Act. Both legal authorities allow applicants to contest any alleged fraudulent statements made by competitors regarding their qualifications.
In order to avoid situations like the one that occurred in Bayelsa, for example, where the APC lost its victory in the governorship election to the PDP due to disregard of alleged inconsistencies about the identity of the deputy governor-elect, it is obviously in the best interest of informed good governance of the nation and also in the best interest of political parties who field candidates to ensure that such candidates meet the constitutional requirements.
According to numerous documents that are on exhibit in public, Oborevwori has been attempting to address the multiple identities and dates of birth that are allegedly inconsistent with his certificates in the Delta PDP case for several years. More specifically, it is claimed that his declarations of identity for the 2022 primary differ noticeably from those he made to INEC for the 2018 general elections.
The reported discrepancies may be straightforward instances of forgery and falsification or merely mistakes, carelessness, or shoddy documentation.
He had previously run for and won a few elections with no challenges to his documentation, but at the PDP South-South Gubernatorial Candidates Screening in Port Harcourt, the claimed discrepancies came to light. He was permitted to participate in the primary, which he won, by the PDP panel that first heard the observations, as well as the Appeal Panel. However, Edevbie challenged the observations and was returned as the first runner-up.
