By Godwin-Maria Utuedoye
It was a moment of celebration and gratitude to God for Chief Hon. Taleb Tebite, Ksc when a Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State on Monday, October 17, declared him as the validly nominated candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, for the 2023 general elections in Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu Federal constituency.
Olorogun Taleb Tebite had dragged the PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, and Chief Solomon Ahwinawhin to court over the substitution of his name with that of Chief Solomon Ahwinawhin, after a PDP primary election were he won peacefully under the supervision of the INEC, PDP and the media in an election held on May 22, 2022 at the Ughelli township stadium.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Folashade .A Olubanjo in her judgment, after hearing the case, ordered the 1st defendant, the PDP to replace its nominated candidate, Chief Solomon Ahwinawhin with the name of the rightful and legitimate winHon Tebite Taleb Avwerosuo Okpako as its candidate to contest the 2023 general elections into the Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu Federal constituency of Delta State.
Olubanjo in the judgment, also ordered the PDP to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Chief Solomon Ahwinawhin. The court also among others, ordered INEC to remove the name of Chief Solomon Ahwinawhin from its portal as candidate of the PDP.
Reacting to the judgment in a statement, Olorogun Taleb Tebite, said: “Let me start by profusely thanking the Almighty God for his mercies and grace all through this election process.
“Secondly, I want to thanks all for the unrelenting doggedness and belief in my struggle for justice, equity and fair-play in the party. Once again, the Nigerian judicial system has clearly demonstrated that it is a beacon of hope for the great citizens of Nigeria.
“This is a victory for us as a party and I seized the opportunity to call on all those that contested with me, especially those with whom we were in litigation, to put the past behind us so that collectively, we can ensure that we win the elections for the PDP.
“To our numerous supporters, I want to sincerely thank you for keeping faith and believing in me towards ensuring that our constituency benefits from the dividends of democracy. In this case, I wish to state clearly that there is no victor or vanquished.
“Our doors have been open and shall remain open for all and sundry in this quest for the upliftment of the living standards of the great people of our constituency. Finally, I want to thank the entire leaders of our party, especially the Governor for ensuring internal democracy in our party, our constituents and indeed all Deltans for their support and show of love in this electioneering process.
On his part, counsel to Chief Hon. Taleb Tebite, John Okoriko appreciated the judiciary, noting that the judiciary is still the hope for the common man. He however called on INEC and the PDP to obey the court judgment by issuing the certificate of return to the rightful candidate, which is Hon. Taleb Tebite.