CERTIFICATE FORGERY: Court Orders Yobe State PDP Gov Candidate To File His Defence

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP for Yobe State Senator Usman Albishir to file his statement of defence within 7 days in the suit instituted by former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Maina Waziri alleging that Albashir forged his West African Examination Council,WAEC, certificate.

The presiding judge,Justice Adamu Bello, also ordered that the PDP and its Acting National Chairman, Bello Haliru Mohammed be served with the processes through a substituted means.

The court fixed March 2nd for hearing on the motion on notice.

The former Minister of Police Affairs, Waziri had dragged his party, the PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over allegations of certificate forgery by Al-Bishir.

In his statement of claims filed through his counsel Adeniyi Akintola, a senior advocate of Nigeria, Waziri claimed that the school certificate result tendered by Senator Al-Bishir to enable him contest the PDP governorship primary election in Yobe state is a forged document.

Akintola averred that the school certificate presented by Senator Al-Bishir to PDP and INEC as proof of his educational qualification was forged contrary to section 177(d) and 182 (1) and (j) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

Specifically, Waziri’s lawyers tendered a West African Examination Council; WAEC, disclaimer on the school certificate presented by Senator Al-Bishir to both PDP and INEC to enable him contest the governorship election.
According to the letter by WAEC signed by the Head of Exams, dated January 27 2011, it said, “West African Examination Council School certificate number SC009520 and Candidate Name – Usman Albishir and Candidate Examination Number 5511045 of December 1968 are not found in the records of the council”.

Consequently, the former Minister averred that since WAEC has issued a disclaimer on the certificates presented by Senator Al-bisher to enable him contest the governorship election, that his school certificate result presented are forged.

—Nnamdi Felix / Abuja