Igbeke: The Serial Senator who Never Wins Elections
16 May 2011

By Tobi Soniyi in Abuja


This is the story of Senator Alphonsus Uba Igbeke – a third-term federal lawmaker who has never won an election but has consistently been granted victory by the courts.

An Abuja Magistrate Court has now issued a warrant for his arrest on the ground that his latest victory in court was procured through allegedly forged documents.

But his lawyer, Festus Keyamo, has raised the alarm that the senator-elect for Anambra North should not be arrested by the police.

In 2003, Igbeke was pronounced a member of the House of Representatives by the court, even though he did not participate in the election.

He had lost the nomination of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defected to the Alliance for Democracy (AD). But, curiously, after the election, he got the court to rule that he was the candidate of the PDP.
Then in 2010, he was again pronounced senator-elect for Anambra North, three years after Joy Emordi (PDP) had been sworn in, even though Igbeke was not a candidate in the election.
The court again ruled that Igbeke, who had defected to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), was the winner of the election. He promptly returned to the PDP.

He has done it again. An Abuja court recently awarded him the senate seat for Anambra North after last month’s polls, even though Igbeke did not participate in the election.
The warrant for his arrest was issued in Abuja on Friday, asking all police officers to arrest Igbeke anywhere he was found.
A copy of the warrant which was obtained by THISDAY said Igbeke stood charged with forgery and using forged documents as genuine.

Before the warrant was issued, the police had told a Federal High Court in Abuja that Igbeke forged the documents he presented to court to obtain the judgment that declared him as the candidate of the PDP for the  April 9 National Assembly elections.
Igbeke had filed an application for the enforcement of his rights at a Federal High Court in Abuja when police wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly asking for Igbeke to be released for questioning.
But in a counter-affidavit filed by the police in reaction to Igbeke’s application for enforcement of his rights, the police said they were prepared to charge the senator with forgery.

In order to stop the police from arresting him, Igbeke had filed the application under the Fundamental Enforcement Procedure Rules where he claimed that the police were hunting him because they wanted to stop him from campaigning for the April 9 elections.
But in a swift reaction, the police filed a counter-affidavit deposed to by Mr. Jonah Wutu, a police officer attached to the Legal/Prosecution Section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department.
In the counter-affidavit, a copy of which was obtained from the Federal High Court by THISDAY, the police described how Igbeke altered the result of the PDP conducted primaries for selection of the candidate to fly the party’s flag for the Anambra North Senatorial District.

According to the police, the said primary was won by Mr. John Emeka jnr who polled 1,156 votes as against Igbeke’s 74 votes.
But in another suit filed by Igbeke at the Federal High Court in Abuja, he claimed that he was the one who scored the highest votes of 1,156 from the primary conducted by Benji Udeozor-led PDP Executive Committee in Anambra State.
The police however found as a fact that it was Emeka who won the said primaries.
But relying on these false depositions by Ugbeke, Justice Abdul Kafarati gave judgment in his favour.
When Emeka got wind of the claims by Ugbeke, he wrote a complaint to the police. After carrying out a preliminary investigation, the police said that they discovered that Ugbeke had committed forgery.
The police consequently wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly to release Igbeke to them for questioning.

Rather than appear before the police, the senator went to court to file an application for enforcement of his rights. He joined the Inspector General of Police as a respondent.

In reply, the police filed a 22-papragraph counter affidavit. Some of the dispositions by the police are weighty and painted Senator Igbeke as an alleged criminal running from the long arm of the law.

The counter affidavit reads: “I Jonah Wutu, male, adult, Christian, Nigeria citizen and a police officer attached to the Legal/Prosecution Section, FCID, Area 11, Louis Edet House, Force Headquarters, Abuja, doth hereby make oath and state as follows:
“That the Applicant (Igbeke) along with one John Emeka Junior and four others contested the PDP primary elections into Anambra North Senatorial District on 10/01/2011.

“That the applicant failed woefully having scored only 74 votes against John Emeka Junior’s 1,156 votes.
“That INEC official monitored the primaries and wrote a report which confirmed John Emeka junior won the primaries.
“That the said John Emeka was duly returned as the PDP candidate to contest the April elections in his presence and knowledge.
“That the applicant (Igbeke) was not satisfied with his failure at the polls.

“He proceeded to alter the figures by allocating higher figures to himself and lesser to the John Emeka Junior i.e. 1,173 and 156 respectively.

“That armed with these fraudulent figures, Applicant proceeded to the Federal High Court.”
“We started investigation and got facts about the accused/applicant as a sitting senator.

“We then wrote the Clerk of the National assembly to produce him for investigation. We were expecting him to come and state what he knows about the forgery, but to our dismay, we got this civil process.

“He is running away from the long arm of the law. He presented the documents in question to the court by way of affidavit.
“We are ready to charge him to court with forgery under relevant laws including Section 118 of the Electoral Act.”

Meanwhile, Keyamo has said the actions of the Nigeria Police “are in complete violation of the Rule of Law, an existing court order and the fundamental rights of Senator Alphonsus Igbeke”, maintaining that Igbeke did not forge any documents.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/igbeke-the-serial-senator-who-never-wins-elections/91445/

Xammy, you wanted to know where Keyamo is?

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-640860.0.html

Here he is.

where do these lawyers draw a line?

Come and see,Naija wonder, what kind of politics is this

Wonders will never end

This is so funny.
John Emeka Junior won the primaries, went home to celebrate without knowing that Igbeke has removed his name in Abuja.

Ol'boy, this is new oo! Now is time to send agents to every high court to monitor proceedings before your mandate is taking away from you without you even realizing.

Forgery: FG charges Senator Igbeke to court
By Friday Olokor, Abuja
Thursday, 26 May 2011



The Federal Government has charged Senator Alphonsus Igbeke, representing Anambra North Senatoral District, before a Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly forging the result of the senatorial primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party for the zone.



An Abuja Magistrates’ Court had earlier issued a warrant for the arrest of the Senator over a similar crime.



But the warrant, which directed all police officers to arrest Igbeke anywhere he was found, was later discharged by the court.



The two-count charge with No. FHC/ABJ/CR/44/11 and dated May 24, 2011 was obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday.



It was initiated and filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke Bello (SAN).



The charge sheet, which was endorsed by a director from the office of the AGF, Mrs. O.O. Fatunde, read.



That you, Alphonsus Uba Igbeke (m) at about the 21st day of January, 2011 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria did make a forged document described as the Senatorial Primary Result sheet for the Peoples Democratic party (PDP)of Anambra North Zone knowing it to be false to wit: you falsely represented the votes scored by the aspirants as follows: John Emeka Jnr—156; Chief A. Igbeke—1173; Chief Denis Odife—15; Hon. Uzoka Okwudili—34; Hon. Celestine Ughanze—297 and Chief Tony Nnacheta—25, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2004 and punishable under section 1[2] of the same Act.



That you, Alphonsus Uba Igbeke (m) at about the 21st day of January, 2011 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria did make a forged document described as the Senatorial Primary Result sheet for the Peoples Democratic party of Anambra North Zone knowing it to be false to wit: you falsely represented the votes scored by the aspirants as follows: John Emeka Jnr—156; Chief A. Igbeke—1173; Chief Denis Odife—15; Hon. Uzoka Okwudili—34; Hon. Celestine Ughanze—297 and Chief Tony Nnacheta—25, with intent that it may be used by yourself to buttress your prayer to the Federal High Court in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/189/2011 to be declared winner of the Senatorial party primary to the prejudice of John Emeka the real winner and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2004 and punishable under section 1[2] of the same Act.



No date has been fixed for his arraignment in court.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110526245160