Abuja – An Abuja Federal High Court has nullified the certificate of return issued to a Benue Rep-elect, Christian Abah, for forging a Diploma of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi.
In his judgment, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, held that the allegation of certificate forgery against Abah by the plaintiff, Mr. Hassan Saleh, was true having been established by an election tribunal in 2011.
The judge held that an earlier judgment of the National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, delivered on September 6, 2011, affirmed that the certificate presented by Abah to INEC was forged.
He also said that a letter by the Registrar of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Mr. Suleiman Buba, affirmed that the certificate presented by Abah to INEC was forged.
The judge also declared all the votes that accrued to Abah in the PDP primaries held on December 6, 2014, as wasted and also declared Saleh as winner of the election.
Justice Ademola, therefore, ordered INEC to issue a fresh certificate of return to Saleh, who had aspired for the position in the primary election before the PDP declared Abah unopposed.
The court also ordered the incoming Speaker of the 8th National Assembly to swear in Saleh as the member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal ?Constituency.
Ademola also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to nullify the certificate of return issued to Abah of the Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal ?Constituency.
He also ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to immediately commence prosecution of Abah for the crimes of forgery and perjury.
Saleh had challenged Abah’s eligibility to stand for the election on the ground that he forged an Ordinary National Diploma in Accountancy purportedly obtained from the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, in 1985.