The Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, has said Governor Godwin Obaseki had not been barred from participating in the Peoples Democratic Party primary slated for Thursday.
There were reports on Tuesday that Obaseki had been barred by a court from contesting the election following a suit instituted by one of the governorship aspirants of the party, Mr Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Obaseki joined the PDP last Friday after he was disqualified by his former party, the All Progressives Congress, from participating in the party’s primary.
However, in a statement on Tuesday, Crusoe said the Federal High Court refused to bar Obaseki from participating in the PDP primary.
According to Crusoe, the major reason stated by Ogbeide-Ihama was that Obaseki recently joined the party and only those who purchased the forms during the stipulated window should be allowed to participate in the primary election.
He said just like Obaseki’s former party, the APC, Ogbeide-Ihama also questioned his educational credentials.
Crusoe stated that the judge, E A Obile, did not grant the prayer.
“The judge asked that the motion seeking to bar Mr Obaseki be served on the defendants, including Mr Obaseki via newspaper publication. He was not barred,” he added.
Meanwhile, a former Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, Mr Nosa Adams, has said the matter will be settled internally.
In his reaction to the alleged court ruling, Adams said, “The court gave orders that the parties should be served by substituted means, so, they are going to court on Wednesday (today), but by the grace of God we would settle it.”