Court fixes date to rule on Obaseki’s certificate forgery suit
The governor’s legal team had appealed against a ruling of the court refusing to expunge certain paragraphs from the suit filed against him by the APC.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, has fixed December 15 for ruling on an application by the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, seeking an indefinite adjournment of the certificate forgery suit instituted against him by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Justice Ahmed Mohammed fixed the date for ruling after hearing the lawyers representing parties to the suit on Thursday.
Obaseki’s lawyer, Mr. Ken Mozia (SAN), urged the court to grant an order of stay of proceedings in the case on the grounds that he had filed an interlocutory appeal against a decision of the court.
The governor’s legal team had appealed against a ruling of the court refusing to expunge certain paragraphs from the suit filed against him by the APC.
Mozia, on Thursday, tendered the evidence of the transmission of the appeal to the Court of Appeal, which he said implied that the Federal High Court could not continue to hear the case until the higher court determined the case.
However, APC’s lawyer, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the motion for indefinite adjournment on the basis that the suit being a pre-election matter was time-bound.
He said the suit which had a life span of 180 days would become statute barred on January 9, 2021. Justice Mohammed fixed December 15 for hearing.
The APC, in the suit marked FHC/B/CS/74/2020, prayed the court for an order disqualifying Obaseki as a candidate in the September 19, 2020 Edo State governorship election on the grounds that he supplied false information on oath to the Independent National Electoral Commission, an act said to be contrary to Section 31(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act, 2010.
The party accused the governor of forging his university certificate presented to INEC in aid of his qualification for the governorship election in Edo State.
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