Edo election: Court summons Sen. Okpebholo over alleged age falsification
A Wuse zone 2, Magistrate Court has summoned Sen. Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2024 Edo State elections, to appear before.
He is charged with forgery and perjury.
The charges, filed by PDP Chieftain Honesty Aginbatse, had on September 12, filed an allegation of discrepancies in the birth dates provided in the nomination forms he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Sen. Okpebholo is to appear before the magistrate , Abubakar Mukhtar, on September 20, barely 24 hours before the Edo governorship elections.
Aginbatse has alleged that Okpebholo’s 2023 Senate nomination form listed his birth date as March 29, 1970.
He added that, however, his 2024 governorship nomination forms contain conflicting birth dates.
READ ALSO: NiMet to leverage Vaisala and MFI expertise as team..
August 29, 1970, on an age declaration, August 29, 1972, on his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate, and August 1, 1977, on his INEC voter’s card.
He stated that under Section 182.1 (d) of the Nigerian Constitution, a conviction for offences involving dishonesty or fraud disqualifies a person from running for governor, raising questions about Okpebholo’s eligibility if convicted.
A senior INEC official who pleaded anonymity while declining to comment on the candidate’s case noted that false statements in official documents could lead to disqualification if upheld by the courts.
However, he said, the electoral body emphasised its neutral stance in the ongoing controversy.
Speaking to the media, Aginbatse said that no one is above the law.
“Edo state cannot have characters of questionable character in public office.
“Sen. Okpebholo must come to tell the court why he filed four different dates of birth under oath.
“The APC too, owes Edo citizens a public apology for fielding such a candidate.” he said.
As the Edo governorship race heats up, the political fallout from the allegations against Okpebholo is yet to be fully determined.
Attempts to reach the senator for comment were unsuccessful.
