Adamawa LG election tribunal dismisses certificate forgery case against Guyuk council chairman

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Shallom Dangi Kassa

By Joseph Adahnu, Yola

The Local Government Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Yola has stroke out the case instituted by the Labour Party candidate, Dandume Gamaliel against the Chairman of Guyuk Local Government Area, Shalom Dangi Kassa.

Gamaliel urge the Court to void Kassa’s victory at the Local Government elections conducted on 13th July 2024 in Adamawa state.

A suit Petition No, LGET/ADSY/001/01/2024, the complainant, Labour Party candidate, through his Counsel Joshua Onoja, had dragged Kassa to the state Independent Electoral Commission and State Working Committee to the Tribunal.

Kassa was accused of having presented a forged School Certificate to Adamawa state Independent Electoral Commission and therefore not qualified to contest or hold the office of Chairmanship of Guyuk Local Government area.

The complainant therefore seeks an order of the court to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued by ADSIEC to Kassa and declare him as winner of the Chairman of Guyuk Local Government area or conduct a re-rerun election in to the Chairmanship office within 30 days as the constitution stated.

Accordingly, the petitioner during the trial tendered before the Tribunal, Kassa’s alleged forged School Certificate result generated from the website of online publication Sahara Reporters.

Kassa through his Counsel argued and posited on the originality of the said School Certificate praying the court to throw away the petition.

Tribunal Chairman, Daniel John adduced that the evidences and exhibits tendered by the complainants are inadmissible in law because the electronic School Certificate of Kassa generated from the website of Sahara Reporters and tendered before the court is immaterial as it must be certified by an authority.

Buttressing the judgement, John after quoting several legal terms and documents including landmark citations from the Supreme Court that the issuer of the said School Certificate in question would have personally appeared before the Tribunal tendering the original and the fake result, so that the Court can decipher between the fake one possessed by Kassa as claimed by the petitioner in the suit.

According to him, it would be wrong for the Tribunal to clap with one hand on the academic exercise.

Chairman of the Tribunal said the petitioners failed woefully to prove their case before the court as required by the law and therefore dismissed it in it’s entirety for want of merit.

Similarly and concurrently, the Tribunal also dismissed cases in favour of Shuaibu Babas, Chairman Fufore, Adamu Umaru Dalatu, Girei, Musa Hassan, Mubi-North, Idris Yahaya, Song, Abubakar Mustapha, Maiha, Markus Ishaya of Gombi and Barrister Jibrin of Yola-North Local Government areas.

The Council Chairmen were all challenged by African Democratic Congress (ADC) for noncompliance with Adamawa state Electoral Law 2022.

A 7-day Right of Appeal from the day of the judgement delivered was granted to any aggrieved parties to seek redress.