Perjury allegation: Court adjourns suit against Matawalle to Oct. 27

The Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, on Wednesday, adjourned a suit filed by a group, Northern Youth Assembly, against Governor Bello Matawalle and three others for alleged perjury, to October 27.

At the resumed hearing of the suit on Wednesday, the presiding Judge, Justice Aminu Bappa-Aliyu, adjourned the case to October 27 for, “definite hearing.”

The Northern Youth Assembly in the suit, alleged discrepancies in the academic and birth certificates Governor Matawalle submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for his re-election in the 2023 elections.

The case filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, was later transferred to the Federal High Court, Gusau. It was first listed for mention on October 4 but adjourned to October 19 for further mention.

Counsel to Governor Matawalle, Muhammad Shamsuddeen, holding brief for Ahmed Raji, SAN, said the first respondent filed a motion of  preliminary objection on the matter.

He argued that the “plaintiffs were not known to law”, noting that they were not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as required by law.

The group in the documents contained in the suit FHC/GS/CS/27/2022, alleged  that three different dates of birth  were submitted by the governor on three occasions to INEC between 2015 and 2022.

The petitioners stated that the documents Governor Matawalle presented to INEC for the 2015, 2019 and the 2023  elections regarding his secondary school qualifications were not the same.

The plaintiffs, therefore, prayed the court to declare a case of perjury and non-possession of valid minimum secondary school certificate against the governor.

Justice Bappa-Aliyu said that the court would on the adjourned date, commence definite hearing in the substantive suit.