Group petitions INEC over politician’s forged death certificate
By Emmanuel Oloniruha
A political pressure group, Guardian of Democracy and Development Initiative, has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged forgery of death certificate by leaders of Action Democratic Party (ADP).
The Convener of the group, Mr Momoh Danesi, led a group of protesters to INEC headquarters in Abuja to submit the letter addressed to INEC chairman.
He decried the act where party leaders allegedly declared living persons dead and also obtaining death certificates for them.
Danesi urged INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to dissociate himself and the commission from the party leaders’ actions.
He alleged that the ADP national chairman, Sani Yabagi, and national secretary, Victor Fingesi, in a letter dated Nov. 1, 2022, using the party letterhead, signed and forwarded to INEC to the effect that Musa Ali, the candidate of the party for the Nassarawa Federal Constituency of Kano State for 2023 general election, was dead.
Danesi claimed that this was done in order to seek Ali’s replacement according to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act.
He alleged that the letter was also backed up with an affidavit and Death Certificate with No.922227, issued on Oct. 28, 2022 at Mai Kuluo Registration Centre, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State, purporting that Ali died at home in his Kano residence.
“This they did knowing fully well that the said Ali was alive and well.
“Their goal was to criminally deprive him of his legitimate ADP ticket for the Nassarawa Federal Constituency,” Danesi said.
He said that the act was not just criminal desperation, wickedness, perjury and forgery; but also a crime that contravene both religious, secular and moral laws.
He urged INEC to sanction those involved in the fraudulent act by ensuring that they were prosecuted under electoral offence and withdraw all engagements with their political party till they were sanitised.
Danesi disclosed that the group had also petitioned the Inspector General of Police to investigate and prosecute those involved in the alleged fraudulent act.
On his part, Ali said that he had been demoralised because they maliciously declared him dead as people now see him as a ghost.
He said that he was already consulting to take a legal action on the matter.
Meanwhile, Yabagi earlier described the allegation as malicious attempt to malign his reputation.
He said that the matter was discovered in November where someone forged his signature and sent names to INEC without his notice.
He said that the matter was already reported to the Police which arrested the suspected person involved in the crime.
“I was wondering how this could be. It was when I carried out investigation and went to the police that the police conducted a very serious investigation that the man confessed that he did it.
“It was not only the signature, the man also had the seal of the party and the signature of the secretary of the party carved.
“Interchangeably he could use the signature or stamp. So, when we discovered, I said the police must carry out an investigation.
“They detain him for a few days and release him on bail. The case is still active. The case file is at the FCT command,” he said