Court acquits Ado LG chairman of certificate forgery allegation

A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Dutse, Jigawa State, has discharged and acquitted the Chairman of Ado Local Government Area in Benue State, Engr. Oche Sunday Oche, of allegations bordering on conspiracy, impersonation, and certificate forgery.

Delivering judgment on Wednesday, the presiding magistrate, Chief Magistrate Abdullahi Ahmed Ilelah, held that the charges lacked merit and that no prima facie case was established against the defendant.

The case was originally instituted in 2018 by one Michael Unogwu, who accused Oche of submitting forged documents and a fake signature to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while seeking to contest the House of Representatives seat for the Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency.

Following Unogwu’s direct complaint, the Nigeria Police Force prosecuted Oche on a two-count charge of forgery and perjury, in line with Section 89 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

However, after examining the evidence and submissions presented by the defence counsel, Barrister John Ochogwu, the court dismissed the case, describing it as frivolous. Chief Magistrate Ilelah further warned the complainant against bringing baseless matters before the court in the future.

Reacting to the ruling, Engr. Oche expressed gratitude to the judiciary for upholding justice, saying the verdict reaffirmed his belief that the courts remain the last hope of the common man. He also maintained that the allegations were politically motivated.

Speaking with journalists, Barr. Ochogwu, counsel to the defendant, said his client’s ordeal began after he challenged the alleged manipulation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election results in 2018. He questioned why the complainant revived the case only in 2022—four years later—after Oche declared interest in contesting the same constituency seat.

According to him, the judgment has finally laid to rest all allegations of forgery and impersonation against his client, reaffirming his innocence.