A Federal High Court sitting in Jos has sacked a Plateau state lawmaker, Ibrahim Baba Hassan, over a diploma certificate forgery he claimed to have been obtained from the University of Jos.
Hassan, who is currently representing Jos North-North constituency at the Plateau state House of Assembly was taken to court since 2015 by Abdul Nasir Saleh, challenging the authenticity of his Diploma Certificate in Business Administration which he claimed to have obtained from University of Jos.
Saleh contested party primaries with the lawmaker on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015 where he came second.
The presiding Judge, Justice Musa Kurya on Tuesday in his judgement on the matter said there was no trace of proof that the diploma certificate submitted to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the lawmaker is genuinely obtained from University Jos.
Kurya said based on the direct and oral evidence submitted by the Registrar of the institution before the court, it is true that the certificate presented by the embattled lawmaker to INEC in 2015 was not obtained from the said institution.
Justice Kurya added that the evidence giving by the Registrar, “is true and uncontroversial.”
Kurya also granted all the prayers requested by the plaintiff, “That the information that the 1st Defendant possess a Diploma in Business Administration (Lower Credit) from the University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria on 26 of November 1996 which the 1st Defendant stated and supplied in Affidavit in support of Personal Particulars of Persons seeking election to Office/Membership of Plateau State House of Assembly in respect of Jos North-North Constituency of Plateau State sworn in the Registry of the High Court, on the 16th December, 2014 to the Independent National Electoral Commission is false.
“That the 1st Defendant was not qualified to contest election into Plateau State House of Assembly in respect of Jos North-North Constituency in view of the fact that the information that the 1st Defendant possesses is false.” He ruled.
Justice Kurya also ruled that the plaintiff was the rightful candidate of the 2nd Defendant (APC) in the election into the Plateau State House of Assembly in respect of the Jos North-North Constituency of Plateau State held on the 11th April, 2015, being the only qualified aspirant in the Primary Election held by the 2nd Defendant to nominate its candidate for the said election concerning the Plateau State House of Assembly in respect of Jos North Constituency of Plateau State, to have contested the said election.
The judge also granted an order directing the 3rd Defendant (INEC) to accept and recognise forthwith the name of the Plaintiff as the legitimate Candidate of the 2nd Defendant for the 2015 elections into the State House of Assembly for Jos North-North Constituency in plateau State.
The judge also ordered that the sum of N5 million being the total legal fees for prosecuting the matter from inception and N25 million as General Damages to be given to the plaintiff.
