Obaseki not a certificate forger, Supreme Court tells APC

The supreme court has dismissed a certificate forgery suit against Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo state.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Williams Edobor, a chieftain of the party, had filed a suit against Obaseki, accusing him of forging the first degree certificate which he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enable him contest the governorship election.

But the governor had insisted that the error on the copy of his certificate, which he submitted to INEC, was made by a photocopying machine.

Also, Abayomi Ajayi, an official of the legal unit of the University of Ibadan who was summoned to testify as a defence witness, had told the court that the institution issued a Bachelor of Arts certificate to Obaseki in 1979.

After losing out at the trial court and the court of appeal, the appellants went ahead to the supreme court seeking an upturn of the verdicts.

In a unanimous decision on Friday, a five-member panel of justices of the apex court held that the appellants failed to prove their case against Obaseki.

Emmanuel Agim, who read the lead judgment, held that the appellants woefully failed to substantiate their forgery allegation against the governor.

The court dismissed the appeal and awarded ₦1 million cost against the appellants.