…Says truth prevailed
Governor Godwin Obaseki, of Edo State, has won the certificate forgery case instituted against him by the All Progressives Congress, (APC).
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday dismissed the filed suit.
The presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, who delivered judgment said that the APC, failed to prove the forgery allegation beyond reasonable doubt. He, however, did not award any cost against the plaintiffs.
The APC and one of its members had dragged the Governor to court, alleging that he had submitted a fake University Ibadan certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), be eligible for the September governorship election.
Justice Mohammed fixed the judgment for yesterday after lawyers to all the parties involved in the matter adopted their final addresses on 7 January.
The APC, its member, William Edobor, Governor Obaseki, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), and INEC are the parties in the case. The presiding judge had adjourned the matter until today to deliver judgment.
The APC and Edobor had dragged Obaseki to court for allegedly forging the University of Ibadan degree certificate, which he submitted to INEC to aid his qualification for the Sept. 19, 2020 governorship election in Edo.
The plaintiffs wanted 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.
Obaseki has hailed the court’s ruling, saying though “desperate individuals” tried to undo the will of the people but justice and truth prevailed.
