Court adjourns suit seeking Obaseki’s removal for alleged certificate forgery indefinitely

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday adjourned indefinitely, a suit seeking the removal of the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, for alleged certificate forgery.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and one William Edobor had approached the court to declare that Obaseki was not eligible to contest the September 19 governorship election in Edo State for allegedly presenting a forged certificate ahead of the election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were also listed as respondents in the case.

In a short ruling on Tuesday, Justice Ahmed Mohammed adjourned the suit indefinitely over an appeal filed by the governor at the Court of Appeal.

He held that since there was an interlocutory appeal pending at the appellate court, the court had to tarry awhile since it had been notified of the pendency of the appeal.

The judge said the record of appeal had already been transmitted and served on all the parties.

Justice Mohammed said: “Where a lower court is aware of the existence of an application for stay, it will be wrong for the trial court to proceed to hear the suit the application is seeking to stay proceedings on.

READ ALSO: Court adjourns hearing of certificate forgery case against Obaseki

“In the instant case, in addition to the interlocutory appeal, there is an application to stay proceedings.

“The suit is hereby adjourned sine die (indefinitely).”

Obaseki approached the appellate court over the refusal of the lower court to remove some paragraphs in APC’s reply to a counter-affidavit he filed on the suit against him.

The governor prayed the court to stay further proceedings in the substantive suit pending the determination of the appeal.

Obaseki was disqualified from the APC governorship primaries by the party’s screening committee in July over alleged discrepancies in his certificates.

He later switched to the PDP and contested the election on the party’s platform.

Obaseki was re-elected for another term of four years after he defeated the APC candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in the election.

He also defeated Ize-Iyamu in 2016.

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