BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

ABUJA – For the second time, the former senator representing Anambra North Federal Constituency, Alphonsus Igbeke, yesterday, failed to appear before a Federal High Court, Abuja, to answer to allegations of forgery levelled against him by the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke Bello, SAN.

In a two-count charge entered before the high court, the AGF alleged that the former senator forged sensitive documents belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and attempted to use same to hoodwink the electoral body into issuing him a Certificate of Return.

He specifically accused Igbeke of forging the primary result sheet of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for  Anambra North zone, stressing that the action constituted an offence under section 1 (2c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2004 and punishable under section 1(2) of the same Act.

Though the court had on June 20 threatened to issue a bench warrant against the accused person, should he fail to appear in court yesterday, it was, however, persuaded from doing so by counsel to the embattled lawmaker, Mr Tochukwu Onwugbufor, SAN, who explained that the inability of his client to appear for arraignment was not deliberate.

Onwugbufor, SAN, told the trial judge in the matter, Justice Adamu Bello, that the former lawmaker, who he said went to Lagos, thought the planned three days warning strike by Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, would hold, adding that he would personally ensure availability of the accused person for trial on the next adjourned date.

Consequently, the matter was adjourned till October 26 for plea taking.