Idowu Sowunmi
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Monday stopped Edo State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant, Godwin Obaseki, from participating in the June 25 governorship primary of the party in the state.
A PDP member, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, had filed an ex parte motion, praying the court to bar Obaseki from taking part in the primary.
The applicant also sought a court order to restrain the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, and the party from allowing Obaseki to buy the forms for the primary, other than those who bought the forms within the party’s timetable initially published for the election.
Joined in the suit are: Secondus, PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chairman of the party screening committee, Kingsley Chinda, and other members of the committee.
Ruling on the motion, Justice E. A. Obile of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt granted the applicant’s prayers and ordered the interim injunction as requested.
All the parties in the case were to be served via substituted means.
Substantive hearing in the case has, however, been adjourned to June 24.
PDP had announced a waiver for Obaseki to enable him participate in the primary election, even though he joined the party only on June 19.
The party also reconvened the Chinda screening committee which had ended its assignment on June 5 to screen Obaseki on June 20.
It would be recalled that one of the PDP aspirants, Gideon Ikhine, had stepped down for Obaseki on June 22 and handed over his campaign office to him.
