The aborted labour strike yesterday stalled the arraignment of the representative of Anambra North Senatorial District in the Senate, Senator Alphonsus Igbeke, who is being prosecuted for allegedly falsifying the results of the senatorial primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the district, as he failed to appear before a Federal High Court in Abuja to take his plea.
The attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), who is prosecuting the accused person also failed to appear before the court, or send a representative from his office for the trial.
The AGF had filed a two count-charge of alleged forgery against Igbeke.
Lawyer to Igbeke, Mr. Tochukwu Onwugbufor (SAN) told the court that his client went to Lagos, thinking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) strike action over minimum wage would commence yesterday.
An Abuja Magistrates’ Court had earlier issued a warrant for the arrest of the senator over a similar crime, just as the warrant of arrest enforced against Igbeke, which directed police to arrest him was later discharged by the court.
“Igbeke had intended to appear before you today but due to the confusion over the labour strike, he failed to turn up from his trip to Lagos. So I would be asking for another date to enable him come to the court for his arraignment,” Onwubufo said.
Onwugbufor had also asked the court to strike out the case against Igbeke on the grounds that the lawyer from the AGF office was not present in court.
But Justice Adamu Bello refused to strike out the suit, saying that, “Your client was equally not in court, so how can you be asking for the court to strike out the matter? The confusion caused by the aborted strike may have also affected him.”
The two-count charge dated May 24 was filed against Igbeke by a director from the AGF’s office, O. O. Fatunde.
The two-count charge reads thus: “That you, Alphonsus Uba Igbeke [m] at about the 21st day of January, 2011 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria did make a forged document described as the Senatorial Primary Result sheet for the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] of Anambra North Zone knowing it to be false to wit: you falsely represented the votes scored by the aspirants as follows: John Emeka Jnr—156; Chief A. Igbeke—1173; Chief Denis Odife—15; Hon. Uzoka Okwudili—34; Hon. Celestine Ughanze—297 and Chief Tony Nnacheta—25, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 [2] [c] of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2004 and punishable under section 1[2] of the same Act.
“And that you, Alphonsus Uba Igbeke [m] at about the 21st day of January, 2011 in Abuja, Nigeria did make a forged document described as the Senatorial Primary Result sheet for the PDP of Anambra North Zone knowing it to be false to wit: you falsely represented the votes scored by the aspirants as follows: John Emeka Jnr—156; Chief A. Igbeke—1173; Chief Denis Odife—15; Hon. Uzoka Okwudili—34; Hon. Celestine Ughanze—297 and Chief Tony Nnacheta—25, with intent that it may be used by yourself to buttress your prayer to the Federal High Court in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/189/2011 to be declared winner of the senatorial party primary to the prejudice of John Emeka the real winner and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 [2] [c] of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2004 and punishable under section 1[2] of the same Act.
The case has been adjourned till October 21, 2011.
The police had earlier informed the court that Igbeke forged the documents he presented to the court to obtain the judgement that declared him as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the April 9 National Assembly elections.