From Godwin Tsa,  Abuja

Police, yesterday, withdrew an amended charge filed against the National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Edozie Njoku, Chukwuemeka Nwoga and Ogunseye Adebisi, secretary to a retired justice of Supreme Court, Mary Peter-Odili. 

Two of the defendants, Njoku and Nwoga, were arraigned on a 14-count marked CR/12/2022 and dated October 21, 2022, over allegation bordering on conspiring with others to forge judgment of the Supreme Court. 

But upon further investigation, the police filed a fresh 14-count amended charge dated February 6, 2023, which now included Odili’s secretary, Adebisi, as the third defendant. 

The defendants were accused of forging the apex court judgment and the letter-head paper of retired Peter-Odili.

At a resumed hearing, yesterday, police prosecution counsel, Rinasonte Ezekiel, told Justice Mohammed Madugu of High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Bwari, that he would be proceeding with the trial with the initial charge against Njoku and Nwoga. 

The defence counsel, Panam Ntui, did not raise any objection to withdrawal of the amended charge.

Following withdrawal of the amended charge, the court proceeded with trial, with the prosecution, calling the first witness. 

The witness, Godwin Odu, said he is APGA deputy national secretary.

Odu told the court that he became the deputy national secretary of the party after a convention in Awka on May31, 2019.

“My Lord, after our convention, I emerged deputy national secretary and Victor Oye emerged after the 2019 convention as national chairman. The convention was supervised by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the BOT members, 36 states chairmen and FCT. Party secretary of all states and 32 National Working Committee members of the party emerged,” Odu said.

The prosecution witness said it was after the Awka convention on May 31 that Njoku began to parade himself as APGA new national chairman. 

The witness said the issue became subject of several litigations, which eventually reached to the Supreme Court. 

Odu said: “When we found out that Njoku was using a forged judgement to parade as national chairman of APGA, I wrote a petition to the police that Njoku forged the judgement he was using in parading as national chairman of our party.”

Further hearing has been fixed for April 27.

Fielding questions from judiciary correspondents after the court session, the police prosecution counsel said he couldn’t serve the charge on Adebisi.

Besides, he disclosed some of the staff of the litigation department of the Supreme Court and Adebisi would be called as prosecution witnesses.

On his part, Njoku told newsmen the police have found out the truth, and were looking for a way out of the suit. 

“How can you say you are prosecuting someone over an allegation which the Supreme Court has termed a ‘slip’ and has subsequently corrected, Njoku queried.

“I am not afraid of anybody, I am poised to pursue this case to a logical conclusion. Of course, the Supreme Court has addressed what they alleged to be forgery and I don’t know what else the police is looking for.”