Alleged result falsification: AGF fails to arraign INEC officials

The officials, Sulaiman Ikhuoriah and Olugbenga Omotiloye, were scheduled to be arraigned before Justice Yusuf Halilu of an FCT High Court, Maitama.

The AGF charged the suspects with falsifying results in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates in the elections held in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

Ikhuoriah was said to have served as the Collation Officer for Ward 6 at St. Maria Gorreti Secondary School, while Omotiloye was an electoral officer at Bishop Kelly, beside St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Airport Road, Benin City.

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The alleged infractions of the two officials were investigated by the Edo Command Office of the DSS.

The duo were initially billed for arraignment before the court on March 10, but the court did not sit that day.

At the resumed hearing, both defendants were absent in court, prompting the judge to ask the counsel from the Office of the AGF (OAGF) of their whereabouts.

The prosecution told the court that the DSS had yet to bring the two defendants to Abuja from Edo State, adding that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) communicated through letters with the DSS to bring the defendants to Abuja.

It expressed surprise that the Service did not bring them.

They, therefore, asked for a date in April for the prosecution to bring the two before the court for arraignment.

Justice Halilu, however, frowned at the inability of the prosecution to bring the defendants to court.

According to him, the court was not a warehouse where the prosecution would only come and file the case against the defendants and subsequently do nothing about it.

He then told the counsel from the OAGF that he would not give the prosecution any date, saying, however, that “if you bring them (from Edo State) today, bring them tomorrow to court for arraignment.”