Embattled Rivers guber aspirant, Dagogo, pleads not guilty to charges

EMBATTLED governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Rivers State, Farah Dagogo, yesterday, at the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, pleaded not guilty to a two- count charge bordering on felony and attempted disruption of screening of the PDP in the state, preferred against him by the state government.

According to the charges read before the court, Dagogo and others now at large, are accused to have, on April 27, invaded the PDP party secretariat on Aba road with firearms, causing panic with the intent to disrupt the screening exercise for national and state assemblies aspirants.

When the charges were read out, the accused, who was brought to court in a wheelchair, pleaded not guilty, just as his counsel informed the court of his bail application by sighting sections of the Rivers State law that authorised the court to grant bail to his client after withdrawing motion for preliminary objection on the jurisdiction of the court.

But prosecution counsel, Zacchaeus Adango( SAN), who is the attorney general of the state, in his response, objected to the application, arguing that bail application could not be tendered in the court before application and that there were other pending motions for the preliminary objection of the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter. He, therefore, asked the court to dismiss the bail application.

Trial judge, Justice Chinwendu Nworgu, however, adjourned till May 20 for consideration of bail application and possible commencement of trial.

Justice Nworgu directed that the accused be remanded in the correctional centre but advised that he ( Dagogo) should be taken back to the state university teaching hospital, where he was taking medical treatment.