Attempts to stop Governor Godwin Obaseki from contesting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary slated for Thursday seems to have gathered momentum as a federal high court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has stopped him from participating in the governorship primary.
Obaseki had defected to the PDP following his disqualification from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party under which he was elected in 2016.
He and his deputy Philip Shuaibu had been given a waiver by the PDP to run on its platform.
But one of the PDP aspirants, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, had filed a suit that the governor be stopped from contesting. The rescheduled primary is to hold on June 25.
Ogbeide-Ihama said only aspirants who purchased the party’s nomination form and were screened within the stipulated time should be allowed to contest.
In his ruling the judge, granted Ogbeide-Ihama’s request.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was then asked not to recognise the governor as an aspirant until the determination of the suit.
Whoever wins the PDP nomination will contest with Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who won the APC governorship ticket at the party’s primary election.
