The Federal High Court in Jalingo yesterday struck out the certificate forgery suit against Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, the APC governorship candidate of Taraba State.
The case brought against Bwacha by one of the aggrieved governorship aspirants, David Sabo Kente, sought to disqualify Bwacha from parading himself as the party’s governorship candidate.
The case, however, was thrown out by the presiding judge, Bala K. S. Usman, for lack of evidence.
Kente had not only dragged the party’s governorship candidate to court for alleged certificate forgery but is also in the Supreme Court demanding the disqualification of the Bwacha from flying the party’s governorship banner in the forthcoming general elections.
In his ruling, the plaintiff and his counsel, according to the judge, failed to provide evidence to back his allegation against the APC governorship candidate as required by both INEC and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
“Having carefully listened to all parties involved in the matter, the plaintiff lacked proof of evidence to support his case,” said the judge.
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Elated by the ruling, both counsels to Bwacha and APC, hailed the court’s position, stating that it was a thorough demonstration of fair justice in the eye of the law.
Also applauding the court’s decision, the leadership of the APC in Taraba, described the judiciary as “indeed, the last hope of the common man.”
Speaking through its state chairman, Barrister Ibrahim Tukur el-Sudi, the party urged all supporters to close ranks by putting aside their differences to wrestle power from the PDP in the coming polls.
On his part, counsel to Kente, Barrister John Yuwa, said he and his team of lawyers would go back to the drawing board and study the judgement before advising their client on the next line of action to embark on.
Kente, through his counsel, had earlier approached the court alleging that the party’s governorship candidate forged some of the documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and that disqualified him to participate in the party’s primary election.
