Adamawa Assembly speaker held over ‘perjury’

Speaker of the Adamawa state House of Assembly, Iya Abbas, has been dragged before Justice Abdulaziz Anka of the Federal High Court Yola for alleged falsification of his declaration of age.

In one of the documents presented to the court as an exhibit, it was alleged that Abbas disowned his father over his senatorial ambition, having deposed to an affidavit in 2011 but was later discovered he died 13 years ago.

The lead counsel to the plaintiffs, Abdulhamid Mohammed, while presenting a counter affidavit before Justice Anka said Abbas falsified documents and swore to an affidavit in 2011 which he claimed his father deposed to and subsequently forwarded them to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Our case is within a narrow scope, in 2011 he swore to an affidavit and said his father was deposed to that affidavit, subsequently he presented those documents alongside the INEC’s forms, saying that his age is on a particular bracket. We looked at the date he deposed to that affidavit and at the date he deposed to it his father was late – he died about 13 years ago,” he said.

Mohammed Murtala Chubado and Honourable Ibrahim BabaYola Mustapha (Baba 10) who are both plaintiffs challenged Abbas as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Adamawa central senatorial zone in the 2023 general elections.

The lead counsel argued that there were two different delegates’ lists, and all of them in the lists came and voted, adding that nobody was sick and that informed his curiosity to query the authenticity of the lists.

“We want this court to go all round exhibits and determine by the Electoral Act and party guidelines whether there were guaranteed primaries.

“We are praying that the court will disqualify him if it finds out that he falsified his documents according to Sections 29 (5) of the Electoral Act, set aside the election, and prohibit him from coming around to campaign and cease to become the candidate of the party.

“So, both the party and the candidate will be prohibited from fielding that candidate because of the consequences of giving false information,” he said.

Counsel to the defendants, Barrister Hyacinth Shabbo Tersoo, however, said the PDP complied with the guidelines of the Electoral Act during the primary election in which their client emerged as winner.

“Fortunately, I am involved in all three cases and I know the substance of the cases. As to whether our client breached the law, is left to the court to decide, we have put forward our defense,” he said.

Justice Abdulaziz Anka, thereafter, reserved judgement of the three suits for on or before December 3, 2022.