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Obaseki In Trouble As Court Orders APC To Open Fresh Suit Over Forgery
It seems Governor Obaseki has landed in another trouble as forgery case against him has taken a new twist.
There is a fresh report that the Abuja division of the Federal High Court on Wednesday ordered the All Progressive Congress (APC) to open its case against Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki in the alleged certificate forgery suit.
This was after the court refused to stay proceedings in the suit as requested by the Governor.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed in his ruling said the court will comply with the order of the Court of Appeal directing the court to continue with the trial on day to day basis.
The judge observed that his court will continue with the trial as directed by the Court of Appeal until the order is set aside.
Justice Mohammed noted that his court must obey the hierarchy of courts in line with the provisions of the law.
He held that given the order of the Court of Appeal and the nature of the case, the Christmas vacation is not enough ground to stay proceedings.
Accordingly, the court directed the plaintiff to open and close his case within two days beginning from Thursday, December 24 to Tuesday, December 29.
It equally gave the defendants two days to open and conclude their defence effective from Wednesday 30 to Thursday 31 of December 2020.
Earlier, counsel to the plaintiff, Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, had informed the court about the ruling of the Court of Appeal on December 16, 2020, directing the trial court to proceed with the trial after dismissing the application for stay of execution brought by the governor, Godwin Obaseki.
He urged the court to proceed with the trial in compliance with the ruling of the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal.
But in opposition, counsel to the Governor Obaseki, Ken Mozia, SAN, urged the court not to proceed with the trial as his client has entered an appeal at the Supreme Court against the decision of the Court of Appeal, including an application to stay further proceedings on the matter.
He urged the court in the circumstances, to tarry a while and await the decision of the Supreme Court on the appeal.
‘My lord, the first defendant not satisfied with the decision of the Court of Appeal, has filed an appeal against the ruling and the consequential orders to the Supreme Court, which is the final court,’ he said.
‘The notice of appeal has been duly served on the parties in this case. Also, the record of appeal from the Court of Appeal has been duly transmitted to the Supreme Court, where it has been entered as appeal No: SC/C6/989/2020, and copies of the notice of appeal, the application for stay and other reliefs earlier mentioned are all exhibited in an affidavit deposed to by Abraham Olajide.
‘Also exhibited are the enrolled orders to appeals nos: CA/B/128/2020 and CA/B/128a/2020, the Court of Appeal Benin after delivering judgment directed the state High Court to continue with proceedings in suit No. FHC/B/CS/48/2020, between Kenneth Asekomeh and Another V All Progressive Congress (APC), and 3 others, where despite that order, the counsel to the defendant still filed an appeal at the Supreme Court and followed it up to the Federal High Court with an application for stay of proceedings and insisted that the Federal High Court await the determination of the appeal at the Supreme Court.
‘The Federal High Court acceded to that request, they cannot honestly ask this court to proceed having posited that the Federal High Court must wait, they have a duty to continue to maintain that position to say that the Federal High Court is obliged to await the determination of the appeal before the Supreme Court.’
He argued that once a party has taken steps to contest a decision of Court of Appeal by way of a further appeal to the Supreme Court and follows it up with an application for stay of proceedings, the judgment of the Court of Appeal will not be treated as final until the steps taken are completely resolved.
The second leg of his argument was predicated on the fact that the trial cannot be conducted during the Christmas vacation as contained in a circular issued by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
The said circular dated December 18, titled, “Notification of Federal High Court Christmas Vacation for 2020”, stipulated that only matters bordering on national interest, human rights-related issues and release of vessels shall be entertained during the vacation which begins on Tuesday, December 22 and ends on Friday, January 8, 2021.
The lawyer noted that by the said notification, the vacation Judge for the Abuja division of the Federal High Court is Justice Evelyn Maha.
‘Today, being within the period declared for Christmas vacation and this case not being one of the cases listed as those that can be entertained by vacation Judge, including the fact that your lordship is not a vacation judge, the court cannot exercise any jurisdiction on the matter.’
He argued that whether the matter is urgent or not is determinable by the facts contained in affidavit evidence led before the court adding that nothing short of that will suffice.
‘There is manifest non compliance in this case such that the court is not even in a position to contemplate whether this case is urgent or not by law.’
Mozia informed that the defence team has withheld their consent for any proceedings to be done during the Christmas vacation period.
The counsel to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Isilalomhe Razak, aligned himself with the argument canvassed by counsel to Gov. Obaseki in urging the court to suspend proceedings and await the outcome of the appeal before the Supreme Court.
But responding, the counsel to the plaintiff, Olujimi, urged the court to discountenance the submissions of the defence team and proceed with the trial in compliance with the ruling and directive of the Court of Appeal.
While noting that the matter is time-bound, Olujimi argued that section 285 (a) of the 1999 Constitution (4th Alteration Act) is a compelling provision that proceedings at the trial court should not be stayed based on preliminary and interlocutory issues.
‘The compelling provisions of section 285 (a) is to the effect that where a preliminary or interlocutory issue is raised, the court shall suspend it’s ruling and deliver it at the stage of final judgment.
‘Secondly, the first and second defendants failed to appreciate that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court has since July 24, 2020, settled the issue of hearing of all categories of pre-election matters in the Practice Direction number two issued by the Chief Judge.
‘What the Chief Judge issued in July was a Practice Direction which is legislation issued by him to regulate pre- election trials.’
He submitted that the said Practice Direction mandates a Judge to hear a pre-election matter pending before his court until judgment is delivered.
‘The Chief Judge did not say the practise direction applies only to annual vacation but includes all manner of vacation in general. A circular is not a rule of court. It is not legislation or law unlike the practice direction,’ Olujimi argued.
He argued further that paragraph two of the practice direction stated that nothing in the Federal High Court shall prevent the hearing of a pre-election matter to judgment.
He submitted that the position of the law, as settled by the Supreme Court is that where time is of the essence in a case before the court, there shall be no stay of proceedings pending appeal.
‘What the defendants are asking the court to do is to go against the directive of the Court of Appeal, which has not been set aside. I urged the court to decline such an invitation.’
The APC, in the suit marked FHC/B/CS/74/2020, prayed the court for an order disqualifying Gov. Obaseki from contesting the September 19 governorship election in Edo State on the grounds that he supplied false information on oath to INEC, an act said to be contrary to Section 31(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act, 2010.
The party accused the governor of forging his university certificate presented to INEC in aid of his qualification for the governorship election in Edo State.
The APC also claimed that there are discrepancies in the subject Obaseki claimed he passed in his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exam.
The governor won the September 19 governorship election in Edo to secure a second term in office.
Defence Minister Christopher Musa says that officers involved in a foiled coup plot were aware of the potential consequences, including the possibility of the death penalty.
Musa also reportedly assured that the government would support the families of the arrested officers and that the accused would receive a fair trial.
Musa said this when he appeared on TRT World, a Turkish broadcaster, stating that the accused persons would receive a fair trial, with access to legal counsel of their choice.
According to him, families of the alleged coup plotters would be looked after by the government.
“They must have made up their minds when they decided to do this and must have considered their families.
“But even at that, the government is ensuring that their families are treated fairly.
“Their family members are not left alone. The government is making sure that their wives and children are looked after.
“The perpetrators already know the repercussion of their action, and I’m sure they are ready to face the wrath,” he said.
JomogNews recalls that the 16 implicated officers, including a Brigadier-General and Colonel, were arrested in October 2025 by the defence headquarters, DHQ.
The DHQ, on January 26, finally confirmed that there was a plot to oust President Bola Tinubu.
According to the military, the plot uncovered in late September 2025 through joint intelligence from the army, Department of State Services, DSS, and Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, allegedly involved plans to assassinate Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, and other top government figures, as well as arrest senior military leaders.
A human rights lawyer and lead counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has urged South-East residents to completely ignore what he described as a “fraudulent” sit-at-home order allegedly scheduled for Monday, February 2, 2026, by a faction of the group.
Recall that the pro-Biafran group, through its spokesman Emma Powerful, had directed a sit-at-home on February 2 across the region in solidarity with traders at the Onitsha Main Market.
Powerful said the total shutdown in Biafraland is a direct, peaceful, and unified response to the actions of Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week.
But in a counter statement released on Saturday, Ejiofor said the source behind the directive, operating under the guise of “Emma Powerful,” has been compromised and is acting against the collective interest of Ndi-Igbo.
He insisted that IPOB has formally and decisively distanced itself from the false sit-at-home order and directed Ndi-Igbo to go about their lawful activities without fear.
The statement read in part: “Once again, the well-worn theatre of misinformation has opened its curtains, this time with a particularly lazy script and an insultingly predictable cast.
“Late yesterday, a report was widely circulated alleging that a total lockdown of Ala-Igbo had been ordered under the guise of a sit-at-home directive purportedly issued by ‘Emma Powerful,’ slated for Monday, February 2, 2026.
“Let it be stated clearly, unequivocally, and without ambiguity: this directive is fake, a phantom, a calculated falsehood.
“Upon careful inquiry and diligent verification, especially considering the delicate and hard-won calm presently returning to our homeland, it became glaringly obvious that the so-called ‘Emma Powerful’ platform has been fatally compromised.
“It has been hijacked by vested interests whose business model thrives on fear, disruption, extortion, and the cynical exploitation of vulnerable communities.
“The peaceful global movement of the IPOB has formally and decisively disowned this fabricated publication, categorically distancing itself from the false sit-at-home order and directing Ndi-Igbo to go about their lawful and normal activities without fear.
“Going forward, the message from IPOB is unmistakable: any publication attributed to ‘Emma Powerful’ should be treated with extreme suspicion, if not outright contempt.
“Frankly, one cannot but express astonishment, bordering on disbelief, that at such a critical juncture, when relative peace is cautiously resurfacing in Ala-Igbo, anyone would recklessly circulate information capable of reopening wounds and inviting criminal infiltration.
“History has taught us, at unbearable cost, what happens when fake directives fall into the hands of violent opportunists masquerading as enforcers.
“It is therefore no longer sufficient to merely advise our people to ‘ignore’ publications from this source. The time has come for greater clarity and firmness. The platform known as ‘Emma Powerful,’ in its current corrupted state, has positioned itself as an adversary to Ala-Igbo’s peace, progress, and collective well-being.”
According to Ejiofor, the peaceful global movement must go further by publicly and definitively explaining why this source has become unreliable, compromised, and hostile to the collective interest of Ndi-Igbo. Silence, ambiguity, or polite distancing, he said, only leaves room for further abuse.
“A masquerade that dances with fire should not be mistaken for a messenger of truth,” the statement concluded.
In recent operations across the North East, troops of the Joint Task Force Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have neutralized scores of terrorists and recovered a significant cache of arms and ammunition.
Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) in a statement said intelligence has confirmed the killing of JULAIBIB, a top ISWAP commander operating within the Gujba axis of the Timbuktu Triangle, during an encounter around Kimba, Damboa LGA of Borno State, on 30 January 2026.
According to the statement, the elimination of the terrorist leader has thrown ISWAP elements in the area into disarray, with several fighters reportedly neutralised during the operation.
In a related operation, troops of OPHK, working in collaboration with the Civilian Joint Task Force, neutralised 3 terrorists during a well-coordinated ambush between Ngazalgana and Lamusheri communities in Borno State.
It said the operation followed credible intelligence on insurgent movements in the area, as troops laid an ambush along the identified route and engaged the terrorists with effective firepower, resulting in the neutralisation of 3 insurgents, while others fled with gunshot injuries.
The statement said troops recovered two AK-47, adding that the operation forms part of sustained efforts to deny terrorists freedom of movement and degrade their operational capabilities across the Theatre.
It said troops also recorded multiple successes in Adamawa State, adding that on 29 January, 2026, troops responded swiftly to a distress call from Barama community, Mubi North LGA, foiling an armed robbery attempt. Two armed robbery suspects attempting to attack a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, were arrested. One suspect sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh while attempting to confront the troops and was evacuated to the Federal Medical Centre, Mubi, for treatment.
The suspects were subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation. Items recovered include 3 cutlasses, 2 laptops, 4 mobile phones, and one power bank.
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