Bayelsa election: Lawyer in the house please what is the implications of this judgement

Senator Biobarakuma Wangagha Degi Eremieyo, the deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Bayelsa State, has won the certificate forgery suit filed against him by Godsgift Eriaye of the Bayelsa Integrity Group.

The lawmaker who represents Bayelsa East district in the National Assembly contested the November 2019 poll as a running mate to David Lyon who won the election.

Lyon was, however, sacked by the Supreme Court hours to his inauguration after the apex court affirmed the judgement of a lower court which disqualified Senator Eremieyo on the ground that he presented forged and falsified documents for the poll.

This paved the way for the inauguration of Senator Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor of Bayelsa State, succeeding former governor Seriake Dickson.

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Almost 10 months after the judgement of the apex court, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Bwari dismissed the certificate forgery suit against Senator Eremieyo.

Although Justice Abubakar Musa delivered the judgement on November 13, the certified true copy was made public on Friday.

“The name Degi Biobaragha on the first school leaving certificate from Ministry of Education of Rivers State of Nigeria with number RS/EV1/76/013360 from State School Bassambiri (now State School 1 Nembe) is an error and misspelling of the first defendant’s name, Biobarakuma Degi,” part of the document read.

The court held that notwithstanding the error in the spelling of the name, the certificate was genuine, belonged to, and was issued to the senator.

It also declared that the name Adegi Biobakumo on the West African Examinations Council’s General Certificate of Education ordinary level of June 1984 with Certificate Number SG 851767 was an error and a misspelling of the first defendant’s name, Biobarakumadegi, and that the certificate was genuine and was issued to Senator Eremieyo.

The court stated that the Masters in Business Administration Statement of Result from Rivers State University of Technology dated February 14, 2002, bearing the name Degi Biobarakumawangagha was genuine, belonged to, and was issued to no other person than the first defendant.

It accordingly awarded the sum of ₦500,000 for the lawmaker against the claimant, Eriaye.

Justice Musa also declared that there was no evidence so far to establish a prima facie case of forgery or any other crime at all against the senator to warrant his prosecution by the IGP in the circumstances.

In the suit which had the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, as the second defendant, the claimant had sought a declaration “that the First School Leaving Certificate from Ministry of Education of Government of Rivers State of Nigeria with number RS/EV1/76/013360 from State School Bassambiri bearing the name Degi Biobaragha which the first defendant claims, and has presented before various authorities as belonging to him and has obtained various benefits on account of same including, in particular, his current membership of the Senate of the National Assembly of Nigeria, was not duly issued to and does not belong to the defendant, but to another person by the stated name, and the use of same by the defendant is unlawful and constitutes a forgery and falsification of same”.

He had consequently asked the court to mandate the Inspector General of Police to immediately commence criminal prosecution of Senator Eremieyo

In its judgement in a pre-election matter in respect of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election delivered on February 13, the Supreme Court had affirmed the verdict of a Federal High Court which decided that Senator Eremieyo was disqualified from participating in the election on grounds that he submitted forged and falsified documents and also made a false declaration to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in aid of his qualification for the election.

The judgement led to the invalidation of the election of Mr David Lyon as the governor-elect and Senator Eremieyo as deputy governor-elect in Bayelsa State

https://www.channelstv.com/2020/12/05/court-dismisses-certificate-forgery-suit-against-lyons-running-mate-biobarakuma-eremieyo/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

I need a sound lawyer to interpret this judgement for us.

So his certificates bear different names and it doesn't sound or look suspicious to Nigerian lawyers, what sort of useless law is being practiced in Nigeria? The Judges probably bought their certificate like the dullard or got theirs from Benin Republic.

3

Karlovich:
So his certificates bear different names and it's not suspicious, what sort of useless law is being practiced in Nigeria? The Judges probably bought their certificate like the dullard or got theirs from Benin Republic

Under different circumstances, it is possible to have different names on different certificate. I am also facing same problem, that doesn't mean the certificates are not mine.

aremuforlife:

Under different circumstances, it is possible to have different names on different certificate. I am also facing same problem, that doesn't mean the certificates are not mine.

If you have 3 certificates with 3 different names and then it should raise questions. I wonder what he has on his birth certificate

Medicine after death. This judiciary needs complete overhauling because the system is in shambles. As to what effect should we call this judgement now nonsense!

aremuforlife:

Under different circumstances, it is possible to have different names on different certificate. I am also facing same problem, that doesn't mean the certificates are not mine.

He was sacked by the supreme court, the highest court of the land.The APC should better forget about Bayelsa.Its long gone

cktheluckyman:

He was sacked by the supreme court, the highest court of the land.The APC should better forget about Bayelsa.Its long gone

This latest judgement proves that, there is error in the previous judgement.

They've been robbed off their mandate. Nothing can be done

Can the Supreme Court revisit this case?

Wow,he may HV a running battle until he reached the supreme court and he may asked for judicial review of the previous judicial pronouncements on their electoral partitions verdict at the supreme court, that's if the case is not status barred.

dalongjnr:
Wow,he may HV a running battle until he reached the supreme court and he may asked for judicial review of the previous judicial pronouncements on their electoral partitions verdict at the supreme court, that's if the case is not status barred.

The case is statue barred. A review was requested earlier but thrown out by the SC with the lawyers fined heavily. This ruling is just an academic exercise, it has no effect on the subject of the case.
On the other hand, I sense some kinda politics in relation to the Obaseki case as they are of similar scenario.
This judgement may have come up now so as to have a leeway in the Obaseki's case.
IMO, I don't think the man(Degi) forged any of the certificate, probably hailed from a community with no academic/records exposure so they were more concerned with go to school, get good grades, neglecting every other aspect of things.
Since I got admitted into JS1, I've always been conscious of not just my name spelling but also, the order of arrangement, I don't let people write "Oluwa" in place of "Olu" and I ensure my middle name and first name position remains where it should be.

OlujobaSamuel:

The case is statue barred. A review was requested earlier but thrown out by the SC with the lawyers fined heavily. This ruling is just an academic exercise, it has no effect on the subject of the case.
On the other hand, I sense some kinda politics in relation to the Obaseki case as they are of similar scenario.
This judgement may have come up now so as to have a leeway in the Obaseki's case.
IMO, I don't think the man(Degi) forged any of the certificate, probably hailed from a community with no academic/records exposure so they were more concerned with go to school, get good grades, neglecting every other aspect of things.
Since I got admitted into JS1, I've always been conscious of not just my name spelling but also, the order of arrangement, I don't let people write "Oluwa" in place of "Olu" and I ensure my middle name and first name position remains where it should be.

you're smart. Apc knows bayelsa is lost already, they brought it up because of obaseki and his deputy certificate issue Incase apc wins in court

aremuforlife:

This latest judgement proves that, there is error in the previous judgement.

Biobakumo = Biobarakumadegi?
how can this be misspelling?
judge done smoke gbana

aremuforlife:

This latest judgement proves that, there is error in the previous judgement.

So in your mind this stupid judgement of a much lower court will invalidate the supreme court judgement Are you fucking kidding me?

tit:


Biobakumo = Biobarakumadegi?
how can this be misspelling?
judge done smoke gbana

The certificates might have not been forged instead there were more one person with Degi as a name that took the exams. This Degi of a guy is an old school trickster.