Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has hailed the ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on the certificate forgery case brought against him by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Justice Ahmed Mohammed had on Saturday dismissed the case filed by the APC and a chieftain of the party, Williams Edobor, against the governor, Newsonspot.com.ng reports.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed while delivering judgment said that the APC failed to prove the forgery allegation beyond a reasonable doubt.
He held that the APC failed to by way of credible evidence, discharge the burden of proof placed on them by the law.
Reacting to the judgment in a statement gotten by Newsonspot.com, Obaseki described the ruling as a triumph of the rule of the law and a testament to the fact that truth would prevail ultimately no matter how vehemently detractors push lies in the face of incontrovertible evidence.
“The verdict of the Federal High Court, delivered by Honourable Justice Ahmed Mohammed is well-received and a victory for the rule of law.
“It was a most needless attempt by desperate individuals trying to undo the will of the people through the backdoor but we are happy today that justice and truth have prevailed,” Obaseki said.
According to the governor, the verdict confirms once again that Edo people were well-guided in trusting him to lead them in the September 19th governorship election.
Obaseki promised to continue to prioritize the development of the state not minding “the darts thrown by those who are embittered by their loss and continue their attempt to put spanner in the works even when they have been roundly beaten on all fronts.”
“My profound gratitude goes to the judiciary who have stood indefatigably for truth and justice; the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR); my party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); our party leaders and members; my teeming supporters; the good people of Edo State and all Nigerians.”
Newsonspot.com.ng recalls that the APC and its chieftain, William Edobor had filed the suit alleging that Governor Obaseki presented a forged certificate to seek re-election in the Edo State governorship election held on September 19, 2020.
According to the plaintiffs, the said document was purportedly issued by the University of Ibadan, while the governor presented same to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which conducted the poll.
Obaseki, who ran on the Peoples Democratic Party platform in the poll, secured 307,955 votes to beat his rival, Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC, who got 223, 619 votes.
Governor Obaseki had defeated Ize-Iyamu as the APC candidate in the 2016 governorship election while the latter was the PDP candidate.
