The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
has withdrawn the Certificate of Return it issued to the Deputy Speaker
of the Delta State House of Assembly, Friday Osanebi.
Last
month, a Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo State, had ruled
against Osanebi over allegations of certificate forgery.
Dr.
Muhammed Lecky, the INEC National Commissioner, South-South, issued the
Certificate of Return withdrawn from the Deputy Speaker to Emeka Ozegbe,
as the elected member of the Delta State House of Assembly representing
Ndokwa East constituency.
In April 2018, a Delta High Court
sitting in Kwale sacked Osanebi over allegations that the NECO
certificate he submitted to (INEC) for his election in 2015 was forged.
The court also declared that Osanebi lied on oath by submitting a forged
NECO certificate and ordered the immediate swearing in of Ozegbe into
the House.
According to the presiding judge, Justice V.I. Ofezi,
there was no evidence to prove that Osanebi sat for the NECO examination
at Orogu Grammar School, Orogu, Ughelli North local government area of
the state as he claimed. Ozegbe was able to prove that Osanebi presented
a NECO certificate, which was not his, in the form CF001 2014 that he
submitted to INEC for the election and, therefore, directed INEC to
immediately withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to the Deputy
Speaker and issue sit to Emeka Ozegbe, who was validly nominated as the
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 elections.
The
Delta State High Court judgment was appealed by the Deputy Speaker.
However, at the Court of Appeal in Benin City, ruling was issued in
favour of the claimant, Odegbe.
Osanebi, however, appealed
against the judgement of the Court of Appeal in Benin City to the
Supreme Court, which is yet to begin hearing on the matter.
In a
chat with our correspondent, Ozegbe disclosed that there were two Appeal
Court judgements that ruled in his favour. "One in the case instituted
by me with suit number: HCK/78/2017, Appeal Number: CA/B/210A/18 and in
the case instituted by Friday Osanebi with suit number: HOK/78/2017,
Appeal Number: CA/B/210/2018. In both cases, judgements were issued in
my favour and in the Appeal instituted by Osanebi, N500,000 was awarded
as costs against Osanebi in my favour," he said.
"Mr. Friday
Osanebi is on appeal at the Supreme Court, but as I talk to you now, the
Supreme Court has adjourned the case sine dine and till June 24, 2019
and this current administration must have elapsed, hence the commission
did the needful by obeying the Court of Appeal judgement to issue me the
certificate of return. So, as at this moment, I am the lawful member
representing the Ndokwa East constituency in the Delta State house of
Assembly today."
While thanking his supporters, constituents,
family members, friends and the youth for standing and believing in him,
Ozegbe said: "I give God the glory and I thank INEC for complying with
the orders of the court in this respect and also hope that the
leadership of the Delta State House of Assembly, especially the Speaker,
would also respect the orders of the court".
Checks by
SaharaReporters revealed that Ozegbe, former member of the PDP, is
currently seeking election into the Delta State House of Assembly to
represent the people of Ndokwa East constituency in the 2019 general
election.
However, Osanebi debunked the story of his sacking, saying it was mere rumour and should be discarded.
"Those
peddling the rumour shouldn’t be taken seriously," he said. "Please,
don’t mind them. The case was just heard on Wednesday. The case is still
with the Supreme Court. The case has been adjourned till January; they
are just carrying fake news."
0 Comments