Idris Ahmed, Lokoja

Counsel to the joint  flag bearer of  All Nigeria Peoples Party  (ANPP) and Action Congress, (AC) in the last re-run Governorship election in Kogi State,  Prince Abubakar Audu, Dr. Alex Iziyon  has tendered the photocopies of the controversial secondary school certificates claimed by Governor Ibrahim Idris to the election petition tribunal sitting in Lokoja, the state capital.

  Dr. Iziyon also argued that  18 local governments were in dispute following alleged massive election irregularities, just as the registrar of university of Abuja, Malam Mohammed Bello Modibbo recently threw a bombshell at the election petition tribunal revealing that the file containing the vital information on the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, who was an alumnus of the institution, was missing.

Malam Modibbo, who was summoned to testify at the tribunal disclosed that all efforts to locate the file in contention has been futile adding, that only the former Registrar of the institution, Miss Effiong Erikefe could explain the whereabouts of the document.

Unfortunately, however, Malam Modibbo noted that getting Miss Erikefe to produce the document became a mirage as, according to him, she was among those that lost their lives in the Sosoliso plane crash in 2005 and nobody else has any clue about the whereabout of the file.

Testifying further, the Registrar disclosed that the action of the former Registrar to hide the document in 2003 was occassioned by the mounting pressures from the press, particularly from the print media.

Counsel to Prince Abubakar Audu, who is the petitioner, Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN) urged the tribunal to give Malam Modibbo more time to search for the missing document saying, "the presentation of the document is very vital to the case at the tribunal".

However, Counsel to Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, Pius Akubo (SAN) objected to the request of Dr. Iziyon, arguing that the request amounts to trial by ambush and an attempt by the petitioner to prolong the case unnecessarily.

Akubo noted that if granted, the prayers of Dr. Iziyon would make nonsense of fair hearing. Counsel to the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Chris Uche also argued that adjourning the case in order to search for a missing file would amount to waste of time.

Giving his ruling on the matter, the tribunal chairman, Justice Abdullahi Yusuf charged Malam Modibbo to continue with his testimony saying, any other document relating to the matter could be admitted later by the tribunal.

Testifying under cross examination by Mr. Chris Uche and Pius Akubo, Malam Modibbo, who had earlier tendered the certificate issued to governor Idris by the university, the transcripts of the examinations written by the governor and the receipt of the fees he paid as well as the list of the graduands sent by the institution to the law school which contained the governor's name said Governor Idris was admitted as a mature student by the institution adding that he was duly screened and registered by the faculty of law.

He further stated that the governor met all the requirements of the institution before he was issued certificate by the university, adding that even Dr. Alex Iziyon was one of the lecturers of Alhaji Idris when he was studying law in the University.

 Bauchi LG elections tribunal gets new chairman

Chief of Judge of Bauchi State, Justice Sabo Darazo, has appointed Alhaji Aliyu Usman, as the new chairman of the local government elections petition tribunal.

The appointment was contained in a statement signed by Alhaji Abdurraham Mahmud, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi.

It said that the appointment was as a result of the  death of the former chairman, Justice Fatima Sani.

It said that the tribunal sitting would continue at the Chief Magistrate's Court, Bauchi. (NAN)