….Hails Appeal Court Judgment Exonerating Him.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has hailed the Appeal Court judgment which cleared him of allegation of certificate forgery preferred against him by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the Edo 2020 gubernatorial election describing it as “a victory for democracy, equity, fairness and justice”.
The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja had on Thursday upheld the ruling of an Abuja Federal High Court which held that Obaseki did not forge his certificates to contest the September 19, 2020 gubernatorial election.
Dismissing the appeal as “unmeritorious”, the appellate court consequently awarded a ₦350,000 cost against the petitioners – ₦250,000 in favour of Obaseki, and ₦50,000 each for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
In a swift reaction to the judgment, the governor said in a statement on Thursday, that the ruling by the Appeal Court vindicated him. He reiterated the fact that the suit was, from the onset, a facetious attempt to swindle Edo people through the backdoor as it was without any merit whatsoever.
According to Obaseki, “The judgment today by the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja is a victory for democracy, equity, fairness, and justice. It further reassures confidence in the judiciary as an impartial umpire.
“From the content of the judgment, ab initio, all Edo people knew there was no merit in the case. It was ill-willed. It is comforting that the judiciary has upheld the truth and the verdict of Edo people.”
Affirming the decision of the Federal High Court in a unanimous decision by the three-man panel, the Court of Appeal ruled that the lower court did not make any mistake and that the plaintiff and witnesses did not pin the governor to have forged the certificate.
It held that the judgment of the lower court was “apt and very clear”, noting that the appellant performed abysmally and had not proved any case.
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