Court Dismisses Certificate Forgery Suit against Andy Ubah

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Apo, Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking the sacking of the Senator representing An am bra South, Andy U bah, who was accused of certificate forgery by the plaintiff, Mr. Uchenna Nnadi.

Nnadi had alleged that Uba forged the secondary certificate which the senator submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) forthe2007 governor ship election in An am bra State and for the 2011 and 2015 Anambra South senatorial elections.

Dismissing the suit in his judgment on Friday, Justice Valentine Ashi described it as frivolous and vexatious. The judge held that the suit lacked in merit and constituted gross abuse of court process. He held that the forgery allegation level led by the plaintiff against Uba, being criminal in nature, was not proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Uba won the 2007 governorship election but was removed by a court judgment after spending less than a month in office. He also contested and won the An am bra South senatorial elections in 2011 and 2015.

The plaintiff had urged the court to declare that Uba having allegedly forged and submitted a secondary school certificate, which was the minimum qualification for holding the offices of a governor and a senator, implied that the senator was not qualified to contest the said elections.

He therefore urged the court to declare as null and void Uba’s elections as Senator representing An am bra South in 2011 and 2015 as well his previous elections as Governor of Anambra State in 2007. Citing the provisions of sections 65(2)(a), 177(d), 66(1) (i), 182(1)(j) of the Constitution, the plaintiff claimed that Uba, “having not been educated to at least school certificate level or its equivalent” and for allegedly presenting forged certificate to IN EC, was not qualified or eligible to stand for National Assembly election, governorship election in Anambra State or any other election in Nigeria