Alleged Certificate Forgery: Court Dismisses Case Against Governor Abubakar Bello.

A Federal High Court sitting in Niger State has dismissed a case
of certificate forgery filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
against the state governor, Abubakar Bello.

The PDP on January 11, 2019, filed a suit against the Governor
alleging that he submitted forged certificates to the Independent
National Electoral Commission.

In today’s proceeding, the presiding judge, Justice Aminu Aliyu
upheld the objections of the defendants that the suit having being
filed outside 14 days runs foul of Section 285 (9) of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as
amended).

The Court held that the Plaintiff has failed to establish that
Governor Bello presented forged certificate to INEC as the sole
witness called by PDP was demolished under cross-examination by the
Defendants’ Counsel.

In conclusion, the court further held that the Plaintiff’s case
is devoid of merit, dismissed the same and awarded cost of N500,000
to the 1st and 2nd Defendants.

Expressing their views, Counsel to the Governor, Mr Jibrin
Samuel Okutepa SAN states that the case against his client is
nothing but meant for political amusement and that from on-set, the
Plaintiff set out on a mission that is nothing but for political
amusement.

On his part, Counsel to APC, Yunus Ustaz Usman SAN says he is
satisfied with the judgment and noted that the case was bound to
fail on all sides.

Counsel to INEC Johnson Jacob Usman stated that he is satisfied
with the judgment as the Judgment was sound and in line with the
state of the law in all aspect.

He finally concluded by saying that the Plaintiff having
withdrawn all his reliefs apart from the omnibus reliefs, the Court
was very magnanimous and over diligence in considering those
reliefs.

Counsel to the Plaintiff, Aliyu Lemu who said he was
dissatisfied with the judgment because the Judge erred in law,
indicated his interest to appeal against the judgment.