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From Abel Leonard, Lafia
The case between Labaran Magaji and Architect Armed Tukur of the All Progressive Congress Nasarawa west senatorial district primaries was stalled as a result of the alleged controversial signature of INEC official on the delegates list document presented by the first, second defendant in court.
Recall that Daily Sun had reported that Labaran Magaji had dragged the All progressive Congress and Architect Ahmed Tukur to the federal high court in lafia the Nasarawa state capital praying the court to declare him winner of the primary election, alleging doctoring of delegate list among other irregularities.
Recall that the case was adjourned today, Wednesday 2, August for hearing having exhausted and accepted all the applications processes.
Delivering the judgement, Federal high court judge, justice Nehizina Idumudia
granted the application of the plaintiff to allow them present the witness from INEC to court in the next adjourned date to clarify the controversies raised by the plaintiff.
In an interview with the plaintiff, Labaran Magaji who was in court himself, shortly after the case was ruled for another adjourned date , said they are extremely
comfortably with the proceedings of the court.
Narrating what transpired in court he said “almost all the defendant had filed their processes out of time there is an application for extension of time and seeking for a deeming order requesting the order of court to assumed that those processes that were filed out of time deemed to have been filed within time in law we don’t oppose to it. He said.
“So all the applications were not opposed and the court granted the order.
Now we would have proceeded to the trial by way of adopting all our processes because all of them are deemed to have been properly filed served to parties.”
“But what we again discovered today curiously ladies and gentle of the press is another set of forgery by the second defendant, forgery of INEC stamp and signature again and on the basis of that we sought for an adjournment to enable us do the needful to expose those people to the court again and it is at that point we are going to deploy our criminal expertise and I want to see some people on their way to jail.” He added.
“So on this note, the court has graciously adjourned this matter to the 31st of this month of August for us to produced the particulars of the forgery and possibly adjourns for judgement.”
Asked the nature of the forgery he alleged earlier explained that the forgery is about the delegate list which they are contesting, adding that instead of the defendant to go and get proper delegate list from INEC but “they rather produce another different document from their poss, pockets, and wherever they found it, appended the signature of the document to have been the signature of an INEC staff and we are taking it up very seriously.” He said
He further said he is into politics to sanitize the system so as to wipe out criminal tendencies in the political system so that Nigeria will be better for it.
He however, appealed to his supporters to continue to exhibit the highest level of decorum as he had said during his campaign that on no account of his ambition should anyone attack any personality because “Nasarawa state is our own and we must protect it for a better tomorrow” while also urging all his supporters to remain in APC and APC is a party to beat in 2023.
Speaking also to the lawyer of the plaintiff, Gali Umar Ahmed, who explained that all applications were moved for regularisation of processes filed and then no opposition rise as a result of the applications.
He said normally the council need to allow them deem to come in and say what they should tel the court in defense to the allegations against them adding that the matter was in court today for hearing but unfortunately they discovered another abnormally.
“The abnormally we discovered was that we filed a process containing a signature of a certifying officer of INEC, that certifying officer is Omale Samuel.”
“They brought the same document in their response to our allegations against them with the stamp of Omale Samuel but the signature that was brought is different from our own.
Gali alleged that there are two conflicting signature and stamp adding that the stamp of Omale Samuel is ADC and C the C and C is carrying the bracket and were he will sign is with capital letter.
But to their surprise, their own document of the delegate list where the Omale Samuel signed is with small letter and where he will sign is not bracket.
“So we now discovered that even the signature is not Omale Samuel so we call on the attention of the court that this people are coming to the court with out equity not with clean hands and if you are coming with equity you aught to have come with clean hands.”
“The court look at that and say we can not just raise this allegations of forgery verbally, we have applied for an adjournment that the certifying officer Omale Samuel be supine to court to clarify the discrepancies because there will be no two processes the same with different signatures.”
“The court obliged us an adjournment to 31s of august to supine Omale Samuel to come and give us his own version.”
“Because we think this is the case that requires quick actions and dispensation judgement to be delivered it is a case that have a time frame in the constitution to be delivered, to make it quicker we have to bring him to come to court and then to clarify the position.”
Speaking to the council of the All progressive congress, Ibrahim Ganje Bawa SAN who disclosed that the case was adjourned to allow the plaintiff to issue an application to allow an INEC official to supine in court.
“Today all the preliminary cases has been taking what was left was for the party to mention all their processes that will give way for judgement but the plaintiff council asked for adjournment because he believed that INEC should be supine according to him a staff of INEC should be supine to come and make some clarification.”
He further said he is not really comfortably with the adjournment because he can not be coming and going but that is the position of the court.
“I would have loved that the car is treated as quick as possible but he is the plaintiff, it is his case and you can not force the plaintiff to continue with his case, we will wait for him.”
Asked if he agrees with the allegation of forgery as mentioned by the plaintiff, the Senior Advocate disclosed that it is not possible to say what is not before the court, adding that until the plaintiff proofs it in the court of law then whey would respond.
