The governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo, in the forthcoming election has been summoned to appear before a Magistrate Court.
Okpebholo was summoned by the court in Abuja over allegations of forgery and perjury.
A suit filed on September 12, by Honesty Aginbatse, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, alleged discrepancies in the date of birth provided by Okpebholo and submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The PDP chieftain, in his allegation, said that Okpebholo’s 2023 Senate nomination form listed his birth date as March 29, 1970, while the governorship nomination forms which he submitted to INEC had his date of birth as August 29, 1970, in an age declaration form.
In the same suit, the PDP chieftain claimed that Okpebholo’s birth date was recorded as August 29, 1972, on his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate while he had August 1, 1977, as the official date of birth on his INEC voter card.
Noting that these discrepancies contravene the provisions of Section 182.1 (d) of the Nigerian Constitution, Aginbatse said the offences if convicted further disqualify an individual from contesting for a governorship positon.
In his ruling, the magistrate, Abubakar Mukhtar adjourned the matter to September 20, for the appearance of Okpebholo.
