Benue: AAC candidate, Ogbadu demands sack of Obi LG chair, Agnes Uleko over alleged certificate forgery

Akpoko Gabriel Ogbadu, candidate of the African Action Congress in this year’s local government election in Benue State, has dragged Erebe Agnes Uleko of Peoples Democratic Party before the Local Government Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Otukpo over alleged certificate forgery.

In the petition with number EPT/01/2020, Ogbadu and the AAC are asking the tribunal to sack her for lying about her qualifications as well as to nullify the election, which they said did not comply with the provisions of the local government electoral law and guidelines for the exercise issued by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission.

Ogbadu while presenting his case before the Justice Ibrahim Mohammed-led tribunal, called two subpoenaed witnesses to testify in respect of Erebe’s claim that she attended LGEA Primary School, Ito Town from 1970 to 1976 and College of Health Technology Makurdi, the present College of Health Technology Agasha between 1996 and 1997.

The witness from LGEA, Oju Area Office, told the tribunal that the booklet containing the counterfoil of the First School Leaving Certificate of primary education with No. 037839 (Erebe’s certificate) cannot be found neither are the records before 1977 available in the Area Education Office, Oju.

The witness from College of Health Technology, Agasha, where the PDP candidate was said to have attended between 1996 and 1997 was led in evidence by the petitioners’ counsel and tendered the students’ enrolment for the year 1995, contrary to her claim that she was admitted in the college in 1996.

Erebe and the PDP did not call any witness to testify.

Justice Mohammed, after listening to the submissions reserved judgment on a date to be communicated to all parties.