Certificate Forgery: Court Orders Ex-lawmaker To Submit Self For Probe

 

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Apo has ordered a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Rita Orji, to submit herself for interrogation over alleged certificate forgery.

Orji had attempted to stop the police from investigating the forgery case brought against her.

But the court dismissed the suit filed by Orji against the police and ordered her to appear before the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for interrogation following her alleged West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate forgery.

Delivering judgement, Justice Kawu Bello, held that Orji had a case to answer in the investigation of the alleged certificate forgery by the police. He added that the Nigeria Police Force is empowered to investigate any petition brought before them according to section 200 of the constitution.

Orji, who represented the Ajeromi/Ifelodun federal constituency of Lagos State between 2015 and 2019, has been enmeshed in a legal battle with the police over a petition written against her to the Force Headquarters.

The petition alleged that Orji, who also contested election for the same seat in the 2023 general elections under the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) paraded a fake WAEC result and therefore contravened the relevant provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Acting on a petition written by one Uche David Esomonu, the Force Headquarters summoned her for interview, inquiry, and possible prosecution regarding the claim but she did not honour the invitation. The former lawmaker instead approached the court and filed a suit to stop her investigation claiming it infringed on her fundamental right.

The petition was sent to the police before the 2023 general elections but Orji lost the PDP primaries during the 2023 general elections.

She had also lost the 2019 election to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Kolawole Taiwo.