Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has been stopped by a Federal High Court from participating in the governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party scheduled (PDP) for 25 June.
The ban order was given by Justice E.A. Obile of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on June 22.
According to reports, the court order was based on a motion ex parte filed by a PDP member, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama.
Joined in the suit are Prince Uche Secondus, the PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission, chairman of the party screening committee, Kingsley Chinda and other members of the committee.
Obaseki who recently decamped to the party from APC was named as the eighth defendant in the case.
The applicant is seeking a court order to restrain Secondus and the party from allowing Obaseki to buy the forms for the primary, other than those who bought the forms within the time initially published for the election.
Justice Obile, however, granted the interim injunction as requested.
Despite the legal implication, the PDP announced a waiver for Obaseki, to enable him to participate in the primary election, even though he joined the party only on Friday 19 June last week.
The party also reconvened the Chinda screening committee which had ended its assignment on 5 June with Obaseki specially screened on June 20.
All the parties in the case were to be served via substituted means while substantive hearing in the case has been adjourned till Wednesday 24 June.
The PDP announced that its decision to grant Obaseki a waiver was pursuant to relevant sections of its constitution.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbodiyan, stated:
The action of the NWC is pursuant to Section 29(2)(b) of the PDP constitution and in exercise of the powers of the National Executive Committee (NEC) under Section (50)(3)(b) of the PDP constitution.
The NWC in exercise of the above powers has ratified the application for waiver by the ward, local government and state executives of the party in Edo state and accordingly grants waiver to His Excellency Governor Godwin Obaseki to enable him contest the gubernatorial primary of the PDP.
Also the NWC has further shifted the Edo state governorship primary from an earlier slated date of Tuesday, June 23 to a new date of Thursday June 25, 2020.
