Age falsification: Court asked to stop Lagos Assembly speaker from election

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Written by Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare Monday, 25 April 2011

A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has been asked to stop the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji, from contesting the Tuesday state House of Assembly election over alleged falsification of his age.

In a suit filed by one Olatunji Awoluyi, resident in Ikeja area of Lagos State, he is seeking an order of court to determine whether the speaker is qualified to contest the forthcoming election based on alleged commission of perjury by allegedly falsifying his age in an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) forms he previously filed.

Awoluyi, who claimed to be an interested party in the affairs of the state, noted that Ikuforiji, a candidate in the coming House of Assembly election, was not fit to contest , having allegedly contravened the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010.

Other respondents joined in the suit are the INEC and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

He stated that it was discovered that the Speaker falsified his date of birth wherein he claimed in the different times in forms filled before the electoral body, INEC, that he was born on August 24, 1954 as well as August 24, 1956.

The applicant prayed the court “to determine whether the first respondent, who is the candidate of the ACN, is not automatically disqualified and /or disabled from contesting and participating as a candidate into the Lagos State House of Assembly for Ikeja Constituency 01.”

He also want s the court to determine among others, “whether where upon a proper construction of Section 3(5), (6), and ( of the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended, the 1st Respondent having falsified or misrepresented his age, is qualified to contest in the elections, organized by the 2nd Respondent, INEC, into the Lagos State House of Assembly for Ikeja constituency 01 or into any of the elective office in Nigeria.”

In his affidavit to support his action, he averred that as a resident of Lagos State, who has spent over ten years in the constituency, where the Speaker is presently contesting was interested on how he is to be governed and considering the interest of the INEC to conduct a credible poll, he took it upon himself to ensure that credible people represent him and others in all the political offices in his areas.

He argued that it was discovered that the Speaker, filled in his Form CF001 on 15, December 2006, where he claimed to be born on August 24, 1958, making him to be 48 years now, but a certificate “purported obtained by him from BABES –BOLYAI, University Romania, in 19777, revealed that he was born on August 24, 1954, contrary to his assertion as indicated on the said Form CF001.”

He added that he was “disenchanted, when he discovered that the 1st respondent certificate obtained in 1981 at the Academy of Economic Studies revealed that he was born on the 24th of August 1956.”
Awoluyi however prayed the court to determine “whether the act or conduct of the 3rd respondent, ACN, in fielding the 1st respondent is not a contravention of the provision of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended and is therefore guilty of an offence under the Electoral Act 2010.”

He therefore asked the court to declare “that the 1st respondent who is flying the flag of the 3rd respondent, ACN, is not qualified to contest and participate in the forthcoming elections in the Lagos State House of Assembly ,Ikeja constituency 001 scheduled for April 26, 2011 and any constituency in Lagos State and Nigeria.”

Also prayed for an order restraining INEC and ACN from recognizing Ikuforiji as a candidate of the forthcoming election into the state House of Assembly, adding that there were ample evidences that the 1st respondent’s acts needed to be reviewed by the court to ascertain the truth and also justified the provisions of the law.


http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/20914-age-falsification-court-asked-to-stop-lagos-assembly-speaker-from-election