BY PETER OKUTU

ABAKALIKI- House of Representatives member representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in Ebonyi State, on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Tobias Okwuru, is currently at the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, over alleged certificate forgery suit filed against him by candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the last April’s general election in the state, Alphonsus Nwali.

Justice Salisu Saliu of the Federal High Court Abakaliki has fixed January 25, 2012, for the final ruling on the suit.

Nwali had filed a suit at the Federal High Court alleging that Okwuru was not qualified to contest the election for presenting a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, during the conduct of the election in the state.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Mr. Gabriel Amadi, had filed an affidavit for originating summons on the matter dated May 25, 2011, and another one, dated November 18, 2011, in support of the originating summon.

When the matter came up November 22, for adoption of written addresses of the two parties, Amadi told the court that the 2nd defendant (Okwuru) was not qualified to contest the Ezza

South/Ikwo Federal Constituency election for allegedly submitting fake certificate to the 1st defendant, INEC.

He said: “The issue we are really canvassing is that the 2nd defendant presented fake certificate to the 1st defendant, INEC, which is contrary to the constitution of the Federal Republic and so was not qualified to contest the election.

“ The non-possession of NYSC discharge or exemption certificate is a non-possession of university certificate because nobody can have a valid university certificate without corresponding NYSC certificate.”

In his argument, counsel to the 2nd defendant, S.O Odii, urged the court to discountenance all that the counsel to the plaintiff had said, adding that he had failed to support his argument with any law.

In his ruling, Justice Saliu, who insisted that he would not close his eyes on a forgery case, stressed that the matter, being crucial, needed to be tackled with all amount of seriousness.

He said the authorities of the institution would be summoned to and give evidence of the certificate and reserved ruling for January 25, 2012.