Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah has dropped the forgery charges against a politician, Obinna Uzor, and his lawyer, Eziafa Enwedo.
Ubah dragged Uzor and Enwedo to court, accusing them of using forged court judgment to nullify his election as senator representing Anambra South in the Senate.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday at the Federal High Court Abuja, the prosecuting counsel, Ms. Hannatu Bahago informed the court of her client’s decision to withdraw the charge.
“My Lord, the nominal complainant in this matter, Sen. Ubah, has informed us that he wishes to voluntarily withdraw the complaint against the defendants.
“In view of that, we wish to rely on Section 355 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, (ACJA) and humbly apply that the case is withdrawn.”
The judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed in a short ruling said that the court was satisfied with reasons given by the prosecution to withdraw the charge.
“The application is granted in consequence of the above and the defendants are hereby discharged,” the judge ruled.
The duo was arraigned at the Federal High Court for allegedly using a forged originating summons and court processes to obtain a forged judgment from an FCT High Court to nullify the election of Ubah.
They were arraigned on a six-count criminal charge of felony.
The forged judgment has since been set aside by the Supreme Court.
Charged alongside the duo by the Federal Government was Anani Chuka who was also discharged by the court, the charge against him having been withdrawn by Ubah.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/78/2020, they allegedly conspired and used a forged motion with No. M/4017/19, and forged originating summons to obtain the upturned judgment that sacked Ubah of the Young Peoples Party (YPP), as the lawmaker representing Anambra South Senatorial District.
The National Daily reports that Justice Bello Kawu of the FCT High Court, Kubwa had on April 11, 2019, sacked Ubah from the senate over the allegation that he used a forged National Examination Council, (NECO) certificate to contest the Feb. 23, 2019, senatorial election in Anambra.
Justice Kawu directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the Certificate of Return it issued to Ubah and issue a fresh one to Obinna Uzor of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), who came 2nd at the election.
Ubah, however, contended that he was neither joined as a party nor served with any process with respect to the suit.
He subsequently persuaded the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment saying it was obtained against him fraudulently.
After the appellate court’s verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court, the FCT High Court indicted and sacked three of its members of staff and demoted three others over their alleged complicity in forging the court’s processes used to obtain the forged judgment.
The court set up an investigative panel that found that the six judicial officers, connived and compiled a fraudulent case file and fabricated the judgment that was used in unseating Ubah from the senate.