The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state has asked a Federal High
Court sitting in Benin City to disqualify the candidate of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Godwin Obaseki, from contesting the
September 10 2016 governorship election for allegedly making false claims
and providing false information on oath to the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).
State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, disclosed the party’s action
at a press conference in Benin City where he called on voters in the state
not to waste their votes for the APC because the party has no candidate
for the election.
Joined in the suit No. FHC/B/CO/120/16, dated 1st September 2016, filed by
Chief Joseph Aghimien (SAN) on PDP’s behalf and Professor Edoba Omoregie,
the party’s legal adviser, are Mr Godwin Obaseki and the INEC.
Orbih said the party was asking the court for a declaration that Obaseki’s
statement that he graduated from the University of Ibadan with a B.A. in
Classical Studies in 1976 made under oath in INEC form CF001 at Part B,
paragraph C dated 11July, 2016 was false.
In addition, the party is asking for a declaration disqualifying Obaseki
from contesting the Edo state governorship election scheduled for
September 10, 2016 on the grounds that he submitted false information on
oath to the INEC in Form CF001, and thereby lied under oath.
Orbih added that apart from misleading the INEC with false information,
the fact that Obaseki failed to declare if he was a member of a secret
society disqualified him from contesting for the office of governor of Edo
state.
He said Obaseki had failed to fulfill the requirements of the
constitution, which in Section 182 (I)(h) specifies the qualifications a
person must have to contest the governorship of a state, hence its call
that the court should disqualify him from contesting the weekend’s
election.
