Obaseki, addresses residents in a state-wide broadcast on August 7,
2020.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has again adjourned the
hearing of the alleged certificate forgery suit filed by the All
Progressives Congress (APC) against the Edo State Governor, Godwin
Obaseki.
Although the suit was slated for hearing on Monday, Justice
Ahmed Mohammed adjourned the suit until Wednesday.
The adjournment followed the submissions by counsel to Governor
Obaseki, Mr Ken Mozia, that all pending motions relating to
pleadings must first be resolved before going into the substantive
matter.
Mozia specifically asked the court to allow him move his motion
challenging the competence of the reply filed by the APC to the
defence of his in the matter.
However, lawyer to the APC, Mr Akin Olujimi, objected to the
position of the governor’s counsel on the pending motions.
He prayed the court to step down all the pending applications
and allow him proceed with the substantive matter by calling his
witnesses who were in court.
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In a short ruling before adjourning the suit, Justice Mohammed
held that the motion of Governor Obaseki challenging the competence
of the APC’s reply to his defence was fundamental because it
related to the pleadings and has to be resolved first.
Governor Obaseki contested the September 19 governorship
election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in
a bid to extend his stay in office by another four years.
After defecting from the APC to the PDP, he went ahead to defeat
Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu and was returned elected by the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The governor secured 307,955 of the total votes, 84,336 more
votes than his closest rival Ize-Iyamu, who got 223, 619 votes.