The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Dr. Uche Ogah of parading a fake Certificate of Return, arguing that the governorship election of April 11, 2015 in Abia State, which he purportedly won, did not produce a winner.

The party was reacting to the dates contained in the Certificate of Return issued to Ogah by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as obtained by the party.

The party, which alleged that the issuance of Certificate of Return to Ogah was the product of desperation and conspiracy, also warned that such actions, if unchecked, would destroy democracy in Nigeria.

In the Certificate, dated June 28, 2016 and signed by Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Commission stated that Ogah was elected to the office of governor of Abia State at the election held on April 11, 2015.

Publicity Secretary of Abia PDP, Chief Don Ubani, while briefing newsmen Friday on the discovery, maintained that INEC had declared that the Abia governorship election held on April 11, 2015 was inconclusive and ordered that a supplimentary poll be held on April 25, 2015.

Ubani explained that it was after the supplementary poll that Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu of the PDP was declared winner and issued with Certificate of Return, dated April 27, 2015 which stated that he was elected governor in the election held on April 11 and 25, 2015. The certificate was signed by Prof. Attahiru Jega, the then Chairman of INEC.

He said the Certificate issued to Ogah who did not participate in all the phases of the election was the product of desperation and conspiracy which was why INEC failed to realise that the election of April 11 did not produce any winner.

Ubani who insisted that the certificate was issued to Ogah in error, raised a poser: "What happened to the election of April 25, 2015?

“As at April 11, 2015,” Ubani said “was any person declared governor-elect of this state? Nobody was declared governor-elect of this state,” he said. “And because nature abhors vacuum, that was why another election was rescheduled to take place on the 25^th of April and the cumulative results of April 11^th and 25^th is what eventually became the determinant of who becomes the governor of this state,” he noted.

The PDP Publicity Secretary added: “We are here as a party to once again let Nigerians appreciate the situation that desperation, conspiracy, cannot help our democracy and once you are working on the basis of desperation and conspiracy, and of course, pecuniary inducement, the truth will always be distant from you.”

He therefore described the error observed in the certificate issued to Ogah as a “very terrible, enormous, horrendous and unacceptable omission.” He added: “The chronological illegality here displayed is something that you and I know that is neither here nor there. The party has once again come to tell you that these people that are busy trying to foment trouble in Abia State by hinging on illegality cannot get it right.”

•Photo shows Dr. Uche Ogah.

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