Court strikes out certificate forgery suit against Obaseki

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday struck out a suit seeking the disqualification of Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki from contesting the September 2020 governorship election for allegedly forging his university certificate.

The suit was filed by Edobor Williams, Ugesia Godwin and Amedu Anakhu. They alleged that the University of Ibadan certificate which he attached to his Form CF.001 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for his first term election in 2016 was forged.

They argued that the governor’s educational information contained in Part C of the Form CF 001 which he submitted to INEC on July 12, 2016, and the degree certificate of Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies, said to have been obtained from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, was forged.

They contended that this was “contrary to the provisions of section 182(1)(i) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999”.

According to them, Obaseki was “not qualified to run or seek the office of Governor of Edo State under the platform of the 1st defendant (APC) in the governorship election scheduled to hold in the state on September 19, 2020.”

The judge Justice Anwuli Chikere struck out the suit because the plaintiffs’ lawyers nor the defendants’ were present in court.

Obaseki was disqualified as an aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship election by the screening panel.

The panel doubted the National Youth Service Certificate (NYSC) and the testimonial of the Institute of Continuing Education Benin city submitted by Obaseki.

Suspended APC chairman Adams Oshiomhole said the decision to screen the aspirants which disqualified Obaseki was in tandem with the resolve of the party to deepen the tenets of democracy.