An Appeal Court sitting in Lagos has annulled the election of Labour Party’s Emeka Nnamani as the member representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency over certificate forgery committed in 2015.
The All Grand Progressives Alliance, APGA candidate, Alex Ikwecheghi was therefore declared winner of the February 25 general election in the constituency.
The court agreed with the ruling of the Tribunal on September 11th, which had earlier held that Nnamani was convicted of forging a University of Port Harcourt degree certificate in 2015 and was consequently barred from seeking public office for 10 years.
According to the the appellate court, the ruling of the tribunal in 2015 which was upheld by the Appeal Court in the same year still subsists. It, therefore, dismissed the Labour Party’s candidate appeal.
In similar news…
Weeks ago, the National and State House of Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal in Kano has nullified the election of candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Muktar Umar Yerima as a member representing Tarauni federal constituency.
A three-member tribunal ruled that the primary school certificate submitted by Yerima to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support his qualifications, was forged.
The tribunal further directed INEC to withdraw the certificate of return earlier issued to Yerima.
The petitioner, Hafizu Kawu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenged Yerima’s emergence, claiming he wasn’t qualified.
The tribunal had held that Yerima’s defence that he had a change of name in 2022 did not hold water, having been using three (Umar Mukhtar Zakari) names on his international passports since 2009, while his primary school certificate still bears Umar Mukhtar.
It also held that the said primary school, Hausawa Primary School, has disowned the certificate tendered by the sacked lawmaker. Therefore, it was ruled that the NNPP had no candidate in the election.
