The sudden illness of Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed on Thursday
has stalled the hearing in the alleged certificate forgery suit
instituted against Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki by the All
Progressives Congress (APC) at the Federal High Court in Abuja
![image](/2020/10/lawreport.jpg")
The APC and one of its chieftains, Williams Edobor had dragged
the governor, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court seeking
Obaseki’s disqualification in the September 19 governorship
election over alleged certificate forgery and perjury.
![image](/2020/10/NWLRland.jpg")
They specifically accused Governor Obaseki of forging his
Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies degree he submitted to INEC
in aid of his qualification for the last governorship election in
Edo State.
The judge had on Wednesday adjourned the hearing for the
cross-examination of the fourth plaintiffs’ witness, Raphael
Onwuzuligbo, a retired police officer, who claimed to be a forensic
document examiner.
However, the hearing which was initially fixed for 12 noon did
not commence until about 2 pm.
Justice Mohammed while apologising for the delay explained that
he had a “severe attack of malaria” and as such would not be able
to go the full hub of the day’s proceedings.
Following the agreement of parties in the suit, the judge then
adjourned the hearing till January 4, 2021.
The plaintiffs had at the previous proceedings tendered two
additional documents to prove their allegation of certificate
forgery against Obaseki.
The two documents which included a University of Ibadan degree
certificate, belonging to Professor Emmanuel Balogun and a report
by Onwuzuligbo, were admitted in evidence by the court after they
were tendered through APC’s lawyer, Akin Olujimi.
The first-degree certificate in agricultural science tendered
was awarded to Balogun in 1979, the same year as that of the Edo
governor.
The sudden illness of Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed on Thursday
has stalled the hearing in the alleged certificate forgery suit
instituted against Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki by the All
Progressives Congress (APC) at the Federal High Court in Abuja
The APC and one of its chieftains, Williams Edobor had dragged
the governor, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court seeking
Obaseki’s disqualification in the September 19 governorship
election over alleged certificate forgery and perjury.
They specifically accused Governor Obaseki of forging his
Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies degree he submitted to INEC
in aid of his qualification for the last governorship election in
Edo State.
The judge had on Wednesday adjourned the hearing for the
cross-examination of the fourth plaintiffs’ witness, Raphael
Onwuzuligbo, a retired police officer, who claimed to be a forensic
document examiner.
However, the hearing which was initially fixed for 12 noon did
not commence until about 2 pm.
Justice Mohammed while apologising for the delay explained that
he had a “severe attack of malaria” and as such would not be able
to go the full hub of the day’s proceedings.
Following the agreement of parties in the suit, the judge then
adjourned the hearing till January 4, 2021.
The plaintiffs had at the previous proceedings tendered two
additional documents to prove their allegation of certificate
forgery against Obaseki.
The two documents which included a University of Ibadan degree
certificate, belonging to Professor Emmanuel Balogun and a report
by Onwuzuligbo, were admitted in evidence by the court after they
were tendered through APC’s lawyer, Akin Olujimi.
The first-degree certificate in agricultural science tendered
was awarded to Balogun in 1979, the same year as that of the Edo
governor.