Court clears Senator of alleged certificate forgery

An Abuja High Court sitting in Apo has dismissed the case of

In a ruling which lasted for over two hours on Friday, June 30, 2017, Justice Valentine Ashi held that the plaintiff failed to discharge the burden of proof bestowed on him and so his suit stands dismissed.

The judge said the plaintiff should have investigated and gotten his facts from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which cleared the defendant as being eligible for elections.

“The same certificate has been used by the defendant since 2007 till date without any alteration. The defendant’s election forms submitted in INEC in over three elections he participated is same without any alteration,” the judge said.

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Ashi said that Nnadi should have also conducted checks at Union Secondary School, Awkunawu, Enugu State, where Uba said he obtained his school leaving certificate as opposed to Boys’ High School, Awkunawu, which the plaintiff claimed.

The court declared Senator Uba eligible to hold any elective position “as he has met the minimum educational requirement provided by d constitution of Nigeria.”

Nnadi had sued Uba on the grounds that he presented a forged School certificate from Boys’ High School, Awkunawu, and so unqualified and ineligible to stand for elections.

Uba, in his counter affidavit, however, denied ownership of the said certificate and maintained that he graduated from Union Secondary School, Awkunawu, which he submitted to INEC and was properly cleared.

The ruling lays to rest alleged plans to sack Senator Andy Uba from the Senate and stop his Anambra governorship bid.