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An Abia State Magistrate’s Court sitting in Umuahia, on Thursday convicted the immediate past Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uche Ogah, for forgery and ordered his arrest and committal to the nearest custodial centre in the state.
In suit no. UMSC/362/2022, the All Progressives Congress (APC) had brought a criminal complaint against Ogah that he did not participate in the governorship primary election of the party on May 26, 2022, but forged the party’s direct primary election result sheet ‘with the intent that it may be acted on as genuine.’
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According to the complainant, the forgery perpetrated by Ogah was prejudicial to the party and its ‘authentic governorship flag bearer in Abia State, High Chief Ikechi Emenike.’
Delivering her judgment, the presiding magistrate, Ngozi Nwangwa, held that the defendant/respondent ‘is guilty as charged. I am convinced that the defendant has no defence.’
‘I hereby commit Dr Uche Ogah for the offence as charged,’ she added.
The magistrate ordered security agencies to arrest and keep him in the nearest custodial centre pending the day he would be brought to the court for sentencing.
Ogah had consistently been absent from the court.
A few days ago, the Abia State on Friday, lambasted the factional governorship candidate of the party over what it described as alleged misinformation on the position of the law on the current legal tussle over the outcome of the concluded gubernatorial primaries held in the state.
The Eastern Updates reports that this is coming barely after an Abuja high court sacked the APC gubernatorial candidate in Abia State for the next year’s general elections.
Recall that a federal high court presided by Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako in Abuja, had on November 11 2022, ruled ‘that the indirect primary election which produced Emenike was in total disobedience to a letter forwarded by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress to INEC that it would adopt a direct mode primary election in the state.
The court also held it was alien how APC notified INEC of its decision to adopt the direct primary mode in the state and abandoned it by according recognition to a candidate, Emenike who emerged from a purported indirect primary, saying such is invalid.
