Prosecute Edo APC House of Assembly elect, PDP tells Police

FOR alleged forgery and perjury, the Edo State branch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the police to immediately order the prosecution of Mr Dumez Onaiwu Ugiagbe, the winning All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the just concluded House of Assembly election for Ovia North East Constituency.

Speaking with journalists yesterday in Benin, the PDP candidate for the constituency, Mr Nosa Omoregie charged that the photograph on the certificate of Ugiagbe for the November/December 2001 West Africa Examination Council was different from the one attached to the examination slip.

Flanked by the party state Publicity Secretary, Mr Chris Nehikhare and other big wigs, Omoregie explained that some members of his campaign committee had written to the Benin office of the examination body to authenticate Ugiagbe’s result on February 15 and got a reply four days later on February 19.

Going by the response from WAEC, he said that it was obvious that the lawmaker-elect did not sit for the examination but rather he contracted someone to impersonate him and write the examination for him.

He said that a petition to the police in Benin by one of his supporters, Mr Blessing Osagie had demanded a thorough investigation of what he
insisted was a case of forgery but was threatened to back off.

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Omoregie said: “Based on the petition, the police undertook a very comprehensive investigation with the support of WAEC confirming the suspicion of Dumez certificate forgery. As part of this investigation, the police invited Dumez to defend himself with evidence of the original WAEC certificate but he has bluntly refused to honour the invitation. Whoever commits a crime must be brought to justice.”

He said that instead of appearing before the police in Benin to defend himself with evidence of the original WAEC certificate, the APC chieftain counter petitioned the Inspector General of the Police alleging criminal conspiracy and defamation.

While commending the police in Edo State for what he said was a painstaking and professional approach displayed in the investigation, the opposition politician insisted that the erring politician must be brought to justice.

Presently, Omoregie said that he has instituted a civil case against Ugiagbe for forgery and perjury but the must follow up with the criminal aspect, noting that both parties have been scheduled for an appointment in Abuja on April 15.

Ugiagbe insisted that the certificate belonged to him and had to petition the force headquarters in Abuja because he didn’t have confidence in the police in Benin.

He said: “I have to tell my lawyer to write to Abuja so that the matter can be investigated properly. All he is saying is not true. The matter is in court and my lawyer is handling it. He lost the election and so should take it in good faith instead of bringing the issue of the forged certificate.”