Tension in Edo as Appeal Court gets set to deliver judgment on Obaseki’s certificate forgery suit

There appears to be rising tension in Edo State as the Court of Appeal in Abuja has indicated readiness to deliver judgment on the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and one of its leaders in Edo State, Williams Edobor, challenging the judgement of the High Court on the certificate forgery allegation against Governor Godwin Obaseki. The appellants are questioning the authenticity of the certificate Governor Obaseki submitted to the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC) for clearance to contest the November 2020 governorship election for a second tenure.

The Appeal Court comprising of three-man panel of justices, on Monday reserved judgment on the suit after listening to arguments from counsels to both parties in Abuja.

A Federal High Court in Abuja had in January dismissed the certificate forgery suit against Governor Obaseki for lack of empirical evidence.

The presiding Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, delivering judgment on January 9, dismissed the certificate forgery suit against Governor Obaseki, pointing out that the plaintiffs relied on the photocopied document presented by the governor without getting in touch with the university to verify the authenticity of the certificate.

The presiding Judge maintained that no iota of truth was brought before the court by the plaintiffs who alleged forgery, noting that it is a criminal matter, but the claimants were unable to prove their case.

Justice Mohammed further noted that the Deputy Registrar (Legal) of the University of Ibadan had given evidence in the suit that the university duly issued the certificate to Governor Obaseki.

The Judge, therefore, declared that “the governor was duly and properly admitted to study Classics, which was later renamed Classical Studies in 1976 and graduated in 1979,” as indicated in evidence by the university of Ibadan.

Justice Mohammed in his judgment declared that “the plaintiffs failed to prove their allegations of forgery against Governor Obaseki” and, thereby, dismissed the case.

Counsel to the APC, Akin Olujimi, had argued that the degree certificate submitted by Governor Obaseki to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was false. The APC counsel protested that at the high court, issues of forgery and falsification were raised but the court only determined the issue of forgery and left out that of falsification.

Counsel to the governor, countered the argument, saying based on the pleadings of the appellant, the false information allegedly submitted by the respondent was on the fact that he did not graduate from the University of Ibadan in 1979, neither did he resign from Afri Investment Limited.

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The Appeal Court will deliver judgment on the suit on a day to be determined.

Meanwhile, sources from the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that there is no point for panic. They stated that Governor Obaseki has substantive overwhelming evidence to win the case, particularly, as the university of Ibadan accepted issuance of the certificate to the governor as a student of the institution.