FG arraigns Obinna Uzor for allegedly forging court judgment

*Orders him to undergo COVID -19 testing

The Federal Government on Thursday arraigned Dr. Obinna Uzor and his lawyer, Eziafa Enwedo, for allegedly using a forged originating summons and court processes to obtain a forged judgement from a Federal Capital Territory High Court in attempt to unseat Senator Ifeanyi Ubah.

The allegedly forged judgment however, has since been set aside by the Supreme Court.

Uzor and Enwedo were arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a six-count criminal charge. Three others, Anani Chuka, Aroh Ifunanya and Faith Samuel were also named as defendants at- large in the matter.

The government is alleging that the defendants conspired and used a forged motion and forged originating summons to obtain the upturned judgement that sacked Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Peoples Party (YPP) as senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District.

It also alleged that the judgment presented by the defendants was forged, averring that the defendants committed an offence contrary to Section 3(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 1(2) of the same Act.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges before trial Justice Okon Abang, even as their lawyer, Mr. Chukwudi Igwe, prayed the court to release the first defendant, while withdrawing his application for bail for the second defendant.

Prosecution counsel, Afam Osigwe, prayed the court not to allow the defendants counsel to apply orally for bail as the federal government intends to put facts before the court opposing the application.

Osigwe alleged that Obinna Uzoh has been at large and deliberately refused to make to face trial until he was declared wanted by the police.

In his ruling, Abang extended the bail granted the first defendant on March 19, but ordered that the second defendant, Uzor be remanded in police custody till July 6 when his formal bail application will be heard.

He directed the police invite the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to carry out a COVID-19 test on Uzor and submit the result to the court before the adjourned date.

“The court cannot order his remand in prison having regard to the current situation and since his medical condition is not known, the court has to be slow in remanding defendants in correctional centres.

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“The court will take further decision as regard to his custody upon submission of the result of his COVID-19 test,” Abang ruled.

Justice Bello Kawu of the FCT High Court at Kubwa had on April 11, 2019, sacked Ubah from the Senate over allegations that he used a forged National Examination Council (NECO) certificate to contest the senatorial election in 2019.

He directed INEC to withdraw the certificate of return it issued to Sen. Ubah and issue a fresh one to Uzor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second at the election.

However, Ubah, contended that he was neither joined as a party nor served with any process relating to the suit and subsequently, persuaded the Court of Appeal in Abuja to set aside the judgement he alleged was obtained by fraud.

Shortly after the appellate court’s verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court, the FCT High Court indicted and sacked three staff members and demoted three others for their complicity in forging the court’s processes.

An investigative panel set up by the court, said it found that the six judicial officers connived and compiled a fraudulent case-file, and fabricated the judgment that was used in ousting Ubah.