A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has stopped Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State from participating in the Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary slated for Thursday, June 25, 2020.
According to the court documents, which were made available, the suit was instituted by one of the governorship aspirants on the PDP, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, who had vowed not to step down for Obaseki.
A major reason by Ogbeide-Ihama was that Obaseki recently joined the party and that only those who purchased the forms during the stipulated window before the waiver granted Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, who recently defected from the All Progressives Congress, should be allowed to partake in the primaries.
The presiding judge, Hon. Justice E.A Obile, granted the experts order, which asked the court to stop the forthcoming PDP governorship primaries.
The party’s national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chairman of the party screening committee, Kingsley Chinda, other members of the committee, and Obaseki were listed as defendants in the case.
Justice Obile granted the interim injunction as requested as hearing in the matter case has been adjourned till Wednesday, June 24.
While the primaries of the PDP was scheduled for June 25, the Independent National Electoral Commission had fixed the governorship election for September 19, 2020.