By Felix Ekwu
The Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, the Delta State on Monday declared Olorogun Taleb Tebite as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for Ughelli-Udu Federal Constituency in the 2023 general elections.
Recall that Tebite, a former member of the Delta State House of Assembly was declared the winner with 34 votes in the PDP primary for the federal constituency which was held on May 22, 2022.
The party however on Sunday, May 29, 2022, following an alleged petition by one of the aspirants in the primary, Hon Solomon Ahwinahwi fixed Monday, May 30, 2022, for a re-run primary for Udu/Ughelli Federal Constituency.
A statement by the Publicity Secretary of the Delta State Chapter of PDP, Dr Ifeanyi Osuoza, announcing the re-run said the earlier primary conducted for the Udu/Ughelli Federal Constituency was cancelled by the party’s National Working Committee, (NWC), as a result of a decision taken by an Appeal Committee.
Taleb declined to participate the re-run primary which took place at the Ughelli Township Stadium, insisting that only a Federal High Court can withdraw the official primary result issued him by the party’s Returning Officer, Hon Kelly Penawou, describing the re-run as a kangaroo setting.
He subsequently approached the court to challenge the decision of the PDP appeal panel to order a re-run after a winner has been declared and made public.
