Date: 2020-07-03

An Abuja Area Court, in Karmo has adjourned to 6th of July for ruling on whether or not to refer to a higher police station, investigations into a case of alleged certificate forgery and false information on oath preferred against a lawmaker, Ahmed Ndakene.

Mr Ndakene is being accused of falsifying his certificate and presenting this to the Independent National Electoral Commission in the form he used to contest the 2019 election.

Mahmud Babako is one of the a candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party who contested in the 2019 House of Representatives election in Kwara State. He is alleging that Ahmed Ndakene, who contested and won the same election under the All Progressives Congress, forged his certificate.

The election was for the representative of Edu/Moro/Patigi Federal Constituency of Kwara State.

The case is now under litigation before an Abuja Area court and it directed the Utako Divisional Police Station to conduct an investigation into the allegation brought against Mr Ndakene by way of direct criminal complaint by Mahmud Babako.

The matter which was slated for ruling on report from the police investigation could not go further as the court was informed by the police that the report was not ready.

Sergeant Buba Irimiya, who represented the police, apologised to the court for the delay and equally craved the court's indulgence for an additional one week in order to submit the report.

In response to the submission by the police , the complainant's counsel, Labio Oji, frowned at police's submission and urged the court to use its discretion to refer the matter to a higher police station.

He stated that the court was not a dumping ground as the police station which was given two weeks to submit the report of its investigation could not deliver on the responsibility assigned to it.

The defence counsel, Alex Edim, in reply argued that to refer the matter to another police station will take more time as investigations will have to start from scratch.

The judge, Inuwa Maiwada after listening to the arguments of both counsel adjourned the matter until July 6 for ruling on the application.