EDO ELECTION: GOV OBASEKI DEFEATS APC IN CERTIFICATE FORGERY CASE

 

The certificate forgery case instituted by the All Progressives Congress, APC against the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki has been decided in favour of the governor by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

Dismissing the suit today, Saturday January 9th, the presiding Judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed said that the APC failed to prove the forgery allegation against Obaseki beyond reasonable doubt.

He, however, did not award any cost against the plaintiffs.

The judgment which was slated for 12noon, began at about 1.20pm, when the judge began by first reviewing the testimonies for the two parties.

The APC and one of its members had dragged the Governor to court, alleging that he had submitted a fake University of Ibadan certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which did not make him eligible for the September 2020 governorship election in Edo State.

Justice Mohammed fixed the judgment for Saturday (today) after lawyers to all the parties involved in the matter adopted their final addresses on 7 January, two days ago.

The APC, its member, William Edobor, Governor Obaseki, the PDP and INEC are the parties in the case.

When the matter was called on Thursday, Ken Mozia, SAN, lawyer to Obaseki informed the court that the business for the day was for parties to adopt their final written addresses.

Mozia said that he had received the plaintiffs’ 39-page final written address.

Also, lawyer to INEC, M.A Bawa prayed the court to use the arguments filed by counsel to give judgment in the matter.

“For our part, we didn’t file any process in this suit and we have consistently remained neutral.

“In the circumstance, we will be urging the court to decide the matter one way or another based on the arguments before it,” he said.

Brave Views reports the APC’s lawyer, Akin Olujimi (SAN) adopted his written address as his final argument in the matter and urged the court to grant the claims sought.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed, adjourned the matter till today for judgment.

The APC and Edobor, dragged Obaseki to court for allegedly forging the University of Ibadan degree certificate, which he submitted to INEC to aid his qualification for the September 19, 2020 governorship election in Edo.

The plaintiffs had prayed the court to disqualify Obaseki and his party, the PDP, from the poll in the event that Obaseki was found to have forged his university certificate, obtained in 1979.

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