"Forgery Case Dismissed: Tribunal Rejects Sen. Nyako's Petition Against Sen. Iya Abbas"

 

National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal Dismisses Allegations Against Sen. Aminu Iya Abbas

In a significant ruling, the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, held in Yola, Adamawa State, has dismissed a petition brought against Senator Aminu Iya Abbas. The petition, which alleged document falsification by the incumbent Senator, was filed by Sen. Abdulazeez Murtala Nyako of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sen. Abdulazeez Nyako, son of the former Governor Murtala Nyako, had claimed that Sen. Iya Abbas, who emerged as the winner of the Adamawa Central Senatorial District seat, had used forged documents in his campaign. This petition was aimed at nullifying Sen. Iya Abbas's election.

Abdulazeez Nyako, a previous senator representing the district, named Sen. Iya Abbas, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents in his petition. He alleged that Sen. Iya Abbas had falsified his birth certificate, rendering him ineligible for the February 25th, 2023 general election.

Abdulazeez claimed that Sen. Iya Abbas had submitted a falsified statutory declaration of age to the electoral body, which disqualified him from the race. He urged the tribunal to annul Iya Abbas's election and withdraw the certificate of return issued to him.

The tribunal, presided over by Judge Maryam Ahmed Sabo, found no credible evidence to support the claims of document falsification or criminal intent against Sen. Iya Abbas. The judge emphasized that Sen. Iya Abbas met the constitutional age requirement for the election, whether born in 1973 or 1975.

Judge Maryam Ahmed Sabo declared, "I hold that the 1st respondent is Constitutionally competent and won the election held on the 25th February, 2023 for Adamawa Central District."

Furthermore, the judge noted that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Sen. Iya Abbas had engaged in criminal intent to manipulate his age through document forgery. She clarified that all parties acknowledged his age was above 35 during the 2023 election.

The judge highlighted that the alleged statutory declaration of age wasn't signed by Sen. Iya Abbas himself. Referring to section 65 (a) of the 1999 Constitution, she emphasized the requirement of being a Nigerian citizen and attaining the age of 35 for Senate eligibility.

The judge underscored that the dispute was not about Sen. Iya Abbas's age, but rather focused on the presentation of forged documents to INEC. The age of 49 for Sen. Iya Abbas was undisputed.

Interestingly, even the petitioners, in their submissions and under oath, confirmed that Sen. Iya Abbas met the constitutional age requirement.

Consequently, Justice Maryam Ahmed Sabo dismissed the petition entirely, and in the spirit of justice, imposed a cost of N750,000 against the petitioners in favor of the three respondents. This ruling stands as a testament to the tribunal's commitment to upholding the law and maintaining fairness in electoral matters.