The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital, has been urged to declare the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi FNIM, OON winner of the March 18th 2023 Governorship election in the State.
The Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party and former minister of state for education, Olorogun Gbagi, has argued that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori should be barred as he was not qualified to contest the election in the first place following allegations of forgery.
Gbagi, a renowned Criminologist and a lawyer, has confidence in them (tribunal justices) that at the end of the day, the right thing would be done.
The security expert, has also asked the tribunal to disqualify the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ovie Augustine Omo-Agege, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, Labour Party (LP) Ken Pela and the Deputies.
Gbagi appealed to the members of the panel of Justices not to be distracted but to focused more on their hard earned integrity.
However, he urged the tribunal to declare him winner of the Governorship Election or order for a fresh election in the State.
Gbagi, in a 79 page petition to the tribunal, said Oborevwori, who is the 3rd Respondent in his petition, in an attempt to meet the constitutional requirements of eligibility for the 2023 Governorship election, presented a falsified statutory declaration of age/Affidavit in support of personal particulars as contained in Form C.F. 001 (affidavit in support of personal particulars of persons seeking election to the office/membership of State House of Assembly) dated 24th October 2018 and form EC9 (affidavit in support of personal particulars) dated 30th Day of June 2022 through the 2nd Respondent (PDP) to the 1st Respondent (INEC)”.
He disclosed that the 3rd Respondent (Oborevwori), in the past three decades has “Chameleonically” changed his name as the circumstances and the situation suited him.
Gbagi, alleged that on 19th February 1982, the name of the PDP Governor-Elect, was Francis Oborevwori, during his age declaration by one Benson Ogbolo while in June 1999, it changed on the reverse with an initial as Oborevwori Francis O, as submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in 2018 and Oborevwori Sheriff, on 20th March, 2005, on his NYSC Certificate of exemption.
Similarly, on 17th July 2003, the 3rd Respondent’s name became Oborevwori Orohwedor Francis, 3rd Respondent’s affidavit of correction of birth submitted to the 3rd Respondent in 2018, while between 2009-2010, it was Oborevwori Francis Sheriff Orohwedor, “shown in degree certificate from Delta State University and submitted to INEC in 2018 and Oborevwori Francis on 6th July 1977, “used in the 3rd Respondent’s Primary School Leaving Certificate submitted to INEC in 2018”.
Furthermore, he alleged that in 2018, the name was Oborevwori Sheriff Francis, “Used in Tax Certificate submitted to INEC in 2018, Chief Oborevwori Sheriff, “PDP membership card submitted to INEC, also in 2018 and in 2004, it was Oborevwori Sheriff Francis, “used in the 3rd Respondent’s degree certificate from Ambrose Ali University and submitted to INEC 2018.
In same vein, in 2022, the name reads as Oborevwori Sheriff Francis O, “used in PDP membership card submitted to INEC in 2022 while in 2009, the name appears as Oborevwori Francis Sheriff Orohwedor, “used in the degree certificate from Delta University submitted to INEC in 2022”.
In another development, 4/5/22, the name was Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori, “attestation of birth certificate submitted to INEC in 2022, while between 10-12-2009, the name became Oborevwori Sheriff Francis, “Voter card submitted to INEC in 2022 and on 17th July 2023, it is Oborevwori Orohwedor Francis, “used in the affidavit of correction of birth by the 3rd Respondent himself”.
Gbagi argued further that despite the apparent multiplicity of names in different fora paraded by the 3rd Respondent, in part F of form EC9 on the declaration, the 3rd Respondent signed the said deposition after declaration and certified the following, “I hereby Declared that all the answers, facts, and particulars I have given in this form are true and corrected and I have to the best of my knowledge fulfilled all the requirements or qualification for the office I am seeking to be elected”.
He said: “the 3rd Respondent’s statutory Declaration of Age/affidavit deposed to in 2022 contains a different age contrary to what is contained in his West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC) dated June 1999 with certificate Number 384793.
“The 3rd Respondent lied under oath that he does not have primary school certificate, secondary school certificate, and his university degree, whereas, in 2018, he exhibited same with his form C. F. 001.
“That his refusal to exhibit those documents in 2022, as done in 2018 is because of the challenge that those documents if exhibited, will not be favourable to him.
“That the 3rd Respondent submitted and swore to false information in relation to the constitutional requirements of eligibility in his Affidavit of personal particulars supporting his nomination form submitted to the 1st Respondent.
He stressed that “in INEC Form EC9, the 3rd Respondent gave his name as Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwedor, whereas in the same form, his Peoples Democratic Party membership card with No. 0724095, reveals the name as Oborevwori Sheriff Francis O”.
In his petition, Gbagi, has asked the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to disqualify Oborevwori, as he is not qualified to contest election in Nigeria, in the first place.
Similarly, Gbagi, in his petition filed on his behalf by Chief Chris Uche, Magaji Mato Ibrahim, Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and others, alleged that Omo-Agege and Osanebi made false claims in forms EC-9 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said Omo-Agege, the APC governorship candidate and Osanebi, his running mate, who are the 6th and 7th Respondents respectively swore to false Affidavit in support of personal particulars in aid of their constitutional eligibility as Governor and Deputy Governor of Delta State but ended up lying under oath for the purpose of concealing the fact that they are not qualified to contest the election.
The renowned Criminologist revealed that both Omo-Agege and Osanebi, “applied to the 1st Respondent through the Law firm of Maduka LP and obtain the 6th and 7th Respondents’ Affidavit in support of personal particulars submitted in aid of their qualifications for election as Governor and Deputy Governor of Delta State respectively in 2023.
He said that in his INEC Form EC9, the 6th Respondent gave his name as Omo-Agege Ovie Augustine whereas in the same form in his West African Senior Secondary Certificate (WASSC), revealed the name as Agege Augustine.
According to Gbagi’s petition, the 6th Respondent, in the past three decades has “Chameleonically” changed his name as the circumstances and the situation suits him.
He said the name was “Omo-Agege Ovie Augustine, on 28th June 2022, in his INEC Form EC9, Agege Augustine, 1979, West African Senior School Certificate, Augustine Omoagege, August 1998, judgement of the Supreme Court of the State of California, United States of America in case No: 94-C-14401 MDM, Christopher Agege, Reginald Clark Bedney, January 1993, application for driver’s license in the State of New York, USA
“Ronald Shawn Byrd, December 10th 1992, application for identification card No. B3598638, Kirk Darwin Johnson, December 29th 1992, fraudulently obtain identification Card No. A9479637“.
Similarly, Gbagi said: “the 6th Respondent also presented himself in the United States of America, wherein he was admitted into the Bar of the State of California, on 14th December 1992, as Augustine Omo-Agege, a name distinct and different from the name used in his form EC9 under oath.
“All the documents remotely and closely related in his conviction in the United States of America, particularly the judgement of the Supreme Court of the State of California, are pleaded and same shall be relied upon during the trial of this petition.
“In the Supreme Court of the State of California in the United States of America, the 6th Respondent, was found guilty and convicted of the offences of perjury and impersonation wherein, in a bid to secure a driver’s license sometimes in 1993, listed his date of birth as May 10th 1965 and his name as Reginald Clark Bedney on the application and was issued with the Driver’s license No. C9768216355315621 in the State of New York on the basis of fake presentation made by the 6th Respondent.
“The 6th Respondent was convicted in the United States of America, for the offences of forgery, dishonesty and multiple/pattern of misconduct, a fact which he failed to disclose in his Form EC9 despite the express demand for him to do so”.
Gbagi, equally listed the sins of Osanebi, a former Deputy Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) as the 7th Respondent did not include any educational credential because, same were nullified by a judgement of the Court of Appeal as forged documents.
