Court invalidates Ogboru’s nomination for Delta guber re-run

A Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State yesterday invalidated the nomination of Chief Great Ovadje Ogboru as the governorship candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in the January 6, 2011 governorship rerun election.
In suit No. FHC/ASB/CS/104/2011, the state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Peter Nwaoboshi and the leadership of the party had challenged the eligibility of Ogboru for the election.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Ibrahim Buba held that Chief Ogboru’s nomination did not comply with statutory requirements of the 2006 Electoral Act, which stipulates that 50 party members should endorse the governorship candidate.
According to Justice Buba, those who nominated Chief Ogboru were not registered members of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).

With yesterday’s judgment, Chief Ogboru was not qualified to have contested in the April 14, 2007 governorship election in Delta State, which was annulled by the Appeal Court in Benin and ordered a re-run, which was held on January 6, 2011.

Meanwhile, the Justice Uzoamaka Ogwuike-led Delta State Governorship Election Re-run Tribunal would today (Thursday) hear written submissions by counsel to the petitioners, Chief Great Ogboru and the DPP and the respondents, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and the PDP.
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