Alleged forged certificate: PDP prays tribunal to dismiss APC victory in Jos North Const.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday prayed the Plateau National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal to disqualify APC and its candidate, Mr Ibrahim Baba-Hassan, as winner of the Jos North Constituency.

Mr Munir Barau, PDP candidate in the 2019 State House of Assembly elections, who made the call while adopting his final written address, challenged the victory of Baba-Hassan.

He also pyayed the tribunal to oder for a fresh election in on the allegation that Baba-Hassan allegedly presented a forged certificate.

Barau, through his lead counsel, Mr. I.B. Shening, told the Tribunal that Baba-Hassan was not qualified to contest the Feb. 23 Assembly election, having used a forged certificate.

“In 2019, he (Baba-Hassan) didn’t use the same certificate he used in 2014, having known the consequences, which is a pointer to his unfitness and non credibility.

“It could be recalled that Baba-Hassan himself came here and admitted in his testimony before your Lordships that the said University of Jos Diploma certificate in Business Administration he obtained, was without a seal.

“Not only that, he even got that certificate in 1996, two years before the approval of Senate committee in 1998. Of course, you can’t get a certificate before your graduation in any institution in the World.

“Besides, the Registrar of University of Jos was here, and he denied knowledge of that certificate, which a Jos Federal High Court gave a judgment on it as a forged certificate,” Shening argued.

He further argued, “this certificate in question, didn’t emanate from a proper source and therefore it’s a forged certificate more so that the university issued a disclaimer well advertised in newspaper.”

Shening strongly urged the tribunal to cancel the election in which INEC declared Baba-Hassan winner and order for a fresh election I. Jos-North Constituency.

“We urge your Lordships to disqualify Baba-Hassan and his party, APC from taking part in the re- run that will be ordered having found culpable in the use of forged certificate to contest elections,” Shening pleaded.

Earlier, A.A. Sange, Lead Counsel to Baba-Hassan told the Tribunal to dismiss the petition for lack of merit.

Sange alleged that the Petitioners have failed to prove their allegations of forgery even with the appearance of the University Registrar, whom he claimed was not categorical in his testimonies.

“Even the petitioners counsels goofed in the sense that they used a Supreme Court ruling that is belated to buttress their claims compared to ours that is more current and correct asking you to dismiss the claim of forgery against our client, Baba-Hassan.

“It’s on this premise that we are asking this honorable tribunal to dismiss the petition for lack of merit and let them go and try again next time,“ Sange pleaded.

Also speaking, Mr E.B.Ebe, Counsel to APC told the tribunal that the petitioners have failed woefully in proving their case and so the petition should be dismissed and struck out.

After listening to the parties involved as they adopted their final written addresses, the tribunal reserved its judgment to a date to be communicated to them.

The tribunal thanked all the counsels in the matter for their cooperation and support to them toward the assignment given to them.

It however pledged to look in to all submissions made and prayed for God’s grace and wisdom for them to justice to the matter as expected.