Certificate forgery: ABU, NECO testify against Kaduna central senator at tribunal 

Representatives of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and the National Examination Council (NECO) have testified against Lawal Adamu, senator representing Kaduna central, at the tribunal over the allegation of certificates forgery.

Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kaduna central, is challenging the victory of Adamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 national assembly election.

At the hearing of the petition filed by Abdullahi, six witnesses, including ABU, NECO and primary and secondary schools that the senator claimed to have attended were called to testify.

Abubakar Is’haq, an associate professor of law, represented ABU Zaria, before the three-man panel chaired by H.H Kereng.

The university was subpoenaed to provide academic records of Adamu while he was a student at the institution.

Esther Wuyaa, represented the National Examination Council (NECO), which is the second respondent and presented certified result confirmation to the court.

Also, Ibrahim Yusuf, the head teacher of Demonstration Primary School also testified against the senator.

The school registration records from 1982 to 1986 which were tendered to the panel showed no record of Lawal Adamu Usman as a student of the school, as he claimed in the documents he submitted to INEC prior to the 2023 general elections.

Bello Suleiman, the principal of Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Gwagwalada, told the tribunal there was no candidate with the name of Lawal Adamu Usman from the years 1986 to 1994 according to available records.

During the tribunal proceedings, M.A Magaji, counsel to the first respondent, cross-examined all the witnesses with no objections.

While addressing journalists after the sitting, Johnson Usman, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and counsel to the APC candidate, said they were contesting Adamu’s victory on the ground that he presented forged certificates and non-compliance with the electoral act.

All schools that testified, submitted their school registers to the court as evidence.

The tribunal adjourned the sitting to July 11.