Nigerian lawmaker charged for alleged forgery

The lawmaker is accused of forging an INEC document.

A House of Representatives member, representing Ndokwa/Ukwani Federal Constituency of Delta State, Ossai Ossai, of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has been charged before a Delta High Court, for allegedly forging an election result sheet.

According to court documents, Mr. Ossai was charged on a four-count of forgery, uttering of false documents, procuring execution of documents by false pretence, and making documents without authority.

He was charged for unlawfully forging and tendering before the Election Petition Tribunal a result sheet purported to have emanated from the Independent National Election Commission.

The charge against Mr. Ossai came about after Olisa Imegwu, the former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, with whom Mr. Ossai contested the House of Representatives seat, alleged that the election result sheet has been tampered with.

“Hon. Olisa Imegwu initially won the election at the polls and was sworn in. Hon. Ossai N Ossai consequently lodged a petition at the Election Tribunal, where he got a verdict upturning our client’s election – a verdict that was affirmed by the Court of Appeal,” explained counsel to Mr. Imegwu, Benedicta Obanye.

“However, it was later discovered that the INEC result sheet he tendered at the Tribunal upon which he got his verdict did not emanate from INEC. After a thorough investigation of the election result sheets by both the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission, it was revealed beyond doubt that the election result sheets tendered by Hon. Ossai N. Ossai at the election petition proceedings were indeed forged,” she added.