Owing to thrill health of Justice Ahmed Mohammed, Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday, deferred further hearing on the certificate forgery case brought by the All Progressives Congress, APC, against the Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State,
The case will continue Monday following the announcement of severe malaria attack byJustice Mohammed
The trial judge said he felt seriously sick after the court concluded its proceedings on the matter on Wednesday.
He said a team of doctors had already subjected him to series of medical tests.
Consequently, Justice Mohammed said he was not disposed to proceed with the case as originally scheduled.
The matter was slated for cross-examination of the fourth principal witness, PW-4, Mr. Raphael Onwuzuligbo, who is a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police and a forensic document examiner.
ASP Onwuzuligbo who was subpoenaed by the Plaintiffs to appear and testify as a witness in the case, had earlier tendered in evidence before the court, a document he said contained the report of an investigation he conducted on governor Obaseki’s certificate.
Both governor Obaseki’s lawyer, Mr. Ken Mozia, SAN, and that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Razaq Isenalohme, who are the 1st and 2nd Defendants, respectively, had challenged the admissibility of the document, which they insisted was not pleaded by the Plaintiffs.
They noted that the document was made on November 16, during the pendency of the suit that was filed on July 14, adding that the Plaintiffs failed to establish the relevance of the document to the case.
However, counsel to the APC, Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, urged the court to dismiss the objections which he said was misconceived.
Olujimi insisted that the report touched on Obaseki’s certificate that is in issue before the court.
Though Justice Mohammed subsequently admitted the report in evidence as Exhibit PL-6, he said the court would consider the objections that were raised against it, in the final judgement.
The APC had in the suit it jointly filed with one of its members in Edo, Mr. Williams Edobor, alleged that Obaseki forged the University of Ibadan degree certificate he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in aid of his qualification for the election.
In the suit marked FHC/B/CS/74/2020, the Plaintiffs equally alleged that there were discrepancies in the subjects that Obaseki claimed he passed in his West African Examination Council (WAEC) exam and subjects in his testimonial.
They are therefore praying the court to declare that Obaseki’s claim in his INEC form EC9 at column C, sworn to on June 29, 2020 at the Federal Capital Territory High Court Registry to the effect that he obtained from the University of Ibadan in 1979, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classical Studies, is false and contrary to Section 31 (5) and (6) of the Electoral Act, 2010.
As well as an order declaring that Obaseki lied on oath when he swore to an affidavit on June 29, 2020 that he worked in Afrinvest Limited from 1994 to 2014 when he retired.
The INEC was listed as the 3rd Defendant in the matter.
Meanwhile, in line with section 285 (10) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the 180 days stipulated for the trial court to conclude hearing on the pre-election suit, will elapse in 10 days time, January 9, 2021.
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