The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday rejected an application filed by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, seeking a stay of proceedings in the certificate forgery case instituted against him.
The presiding judge of a High Court, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, had in a judgement on December 2, dismissed Governor Obaseki’s motion. The governor appealed the judgement, compelling the judge to suspend the case at the high court indefinitely.
The appellate court, however, ordered the governor to return to the high court for the continuous hearing of the suit against him.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and a party leader, Williams Edobor, had filed a suit against Governor Obaseki, accusing him of forging the first-degree certificate he tendered to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to qualify him to contest the September 19 governorship election in Edo State.
The plaintiff also claimed that there are discrepancies in the subject Obaseki claimed he passed in his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exam.
Obaseki in his appeal had asked the federal high court in Abuja to suspend the case indefinitely on the grounds that he had filed an application at the appellate court.
Governor Obaseki through his counsel, Ken Mozia, had challenged the competence of APC’s reply to his defence, asking the court to remove some paragraphs in the plaintiffs’ statement of reply.