The Nigeria Police has arrested a Benue state aspirant for the House of Representatives seat on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Engr. Sunday Oche, for alleged forgery and perjury.
Oche, who seeks to represent Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, was arrested early on Sunday morning in Otukpo, and was immediately whisked away to Abuja where he was detained at the Force headquarters till night.
SaharaReporters learnt that Oche was arrested following a petition submitted at Zone 7 Police Headquarters, Abuja and addressed to the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) in charge of the Zone on April 19, 2022, by one Mr. Michael Unogwu, who was the APC candidate for House of Representatives in the 2019 general elections.
According to SaharaReporters, Oche allegedly forged the signature of Mr. Unogwu on his private letterhead, which was transmitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2018, as a letter of withdrawal from the National Assembly race, shortly after Unogwu’s emergence as the candidate of APC.
Part of the petition reads, “After the submission of the name of our client as its candidate for the election by the APC, Mr. Oche Sunday Oche came up with a criminal design to unlawfully replace our client as APC candidate for the election. In this quest, Mr. Oche Sunday Oche criminally procured INEC form CF 004A(i) being notice of withdrawal of candidate, filled it with our client’s information, unlawfully obtained our client’s passport photograph and affixed to the said form and then forged our client’s signature on the said document.
“In addition to the above, Mr. Oche Sunday Oche placed his passport photograph on the said INEC Form CF 004A(i) as the candidate to replace our client as candidate.
“Furthermore, Mr. Oche Sunday Oche also forged a letter of withdrawal dated 15th November, 2018 and addressed to the National Chairman of APC, purportedly withdrawing our client’s candidature from the General Election. As a result of the above, the name of Mr. Oche Sunday Oche was then forwarded to INEC as the candidate of APC for the election.”
The petitioners annexed the purported letter of withdrawal; INEC Form CF 004A(i) and letter of mandate from the party asking INEC to substitute the name of Mr. Unogwu for that of Oche.
The Secretary to the Commission (INEC), Rose Oriaran Anthony in December 2018, was also annexed in the letter, informing the party of the anomalies associated with the purported letter of withdrawal and the reply signed by the APC national chairman, informing INEC that the letter of withdrawal was actually forged.
“After thorough investigation, the party has come to the conclusion that the purported letter of withdrawal was indeed forged, hence nullifying his purported withdrawal,” the letter signed by the APC national chairman reads in part.
SaharaReporters
