A statement by Danladi A. Ochekpe, Lead Counsel, Legacy Chambers and Aaron Mike Odeh, S.A., Media and Publicity to Legacy Chambers, described the author of the said publication as having “serious symptoms of typhoid fever or mental imbalance".
Danladi Adams and Co. (Legacy Chambers), the law firm representing Lawal Idris — the lawmaker representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency of Kogi State, seeking a House of Representatives ticket on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) — has responded to the allegations of the forgery of his Yaba College of Technology certificate.
The certificate was already investigated by the Police and dismissed by the institution itself. [story_link align="left"]63497[/story_link]
In early 2017, responding to an inquiry on behalf of the Commissioner of Police by Abutu Yaro, a Deputy Commissioner of Police on clarification of the said certificate, a letter from Adenuga Adijat on behalf of the Registrar of Yaba College of Technology, addressed to the CP and titled ‘Re: Authentication of Certificate: Lawal Mohammed Idris’, disowned the certificate.
Adijat wrote: “Your request on above refers. Please be informed that Lawal Mohammed Idris was not a registered student of the college and the attached certificate which was said to have been issued to him did not emanate from Yaba college of Technology. Kindly discountenance his claim. Thank you.”
However, responding to the issue via a statement by Danladi A. Ochekpe, Lead Counsel, Legacy Chambers and Aaron Mike Odeh, S.A., Media and Publicity to Legacy Chambers, Idris described the author of the said publication as having “serious symptoms of typhoid fever or mental imbalance”.
He also referred to the said authors as “political jobbers”.
The statement by the Abuja-based law firm on Tuesday read: “For clarity and professional purpose, we wish to use this forum to put some issues straight to the entire Nigerians, Ajaokuta Federal Constituency people of Kogi State and the management of Sahara Reporters in particular that; the authors of the said publication, without any iota of doubt, may indeed have serious symptoms of typhoid fever or mental imbalance. In fact, a good political analyst may even be right to call them as political jobbers”.
They dismissed the claims, and called on all those who “orchestrated the publication on the Sahara Reporters to immediately retract it else, an instant legal action will be taken against them”.
THE FULL STATEMENT
Our attention has been gripped to the online news publication of certificate forgery on Honorable Aljaji Lawal Idrissu, an Honorable Member Representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency of Kogi State, Nigeria. The said alleged certificate forgery publications appears on the Sahara Reporters online news publication of 29th of September 2018. We wish to say categorically that; the publications of the alleged certificate forgery by Honorable Lawal Idrissu, from Yaba Tech, Lagos, in Lagos State, came as a very shock and as well seen by us and millions of Nigerians as a ploy by some desperate political desperadoes, charlatans and insignificant elements of power seekers to at all cost destroyed his hard earned Local, National and International reputations which in all ramifications has positively beyond imagination improved the quality of lives of all the indigenes of Ajaokuta Federal Constituency in Kogi State and even beyond through the setting up of cottage industries which has given a lot of employment to the army of idle youths a cross Nigeria.
For clarity and professional purpose, we wish to use this forum to put some issues straight to the entire Nigerians, Ajaokuta Federal Constituency people of Kogi State and the management of Sahara Reporters in particular that; the author of the said publications are without any iota of doubt, may indeed have serious symptoms of typhoid fever or mental imbalance. In fact, a good political analyst may even be right to call them as political jobbers. Therefore, to set the ball on course, we will like to vividly present the following points for all these image destroyers to take note of.
Now, our stand on this issue are explicitly presented below:
We wish to draw the attention of the general public and the author of this publication to know that; the said certificate forgery as alleged to have been forged by Hon. Lawal Idrissu is no longer a fresh news in view of the fact that the case first came up in the year 2015 during the build-up to the General Elections which Honorable Lawal Idrissu fully participated and won the House of Representative sit to represent Ajaokuta Federal Constituency in Kogi State. Then, the case got to the election tribunal and the election appeal tribunal both exonerated him of any wrong doing. However, we wouldn’t have put up a rider to the publication as put up by Sahara Reporters, but for clarity purpose, we decided to come up with this addendum. Moreover, the allegation was also published in the year 2017 and the attention of the Nigeria police force was drawn to it base on the petition submitted by these group of unscrupulous political charlatans. The Nigeria Police force on their own took their time to dig into the issue by going to the extent of meeting the management of Yaba Tech where this group of political conspirators alleged that the hardworking, benevolent, kind, humble, God-fearing and generous Honorable Lawal Idrissu forged the certificate from. In the course of their investigations, the management of the school hinted on the Nigeria Police force that Honorable Lawal Idrissu actually graduated from Yaba Tech. they further went on by presenting to the Nigeria Police the Examination Number of Alhaji Lawal Idrissu concerning the alleged forged certificate.
The police haven taken all the necessary steps after comprehensive investigations, cleared Honorable Lawal Idrissu of every wrong doing and stated categorically that he was charged to court concerning the certificate forgery and was acquitted. They further went on to encourage him to go on with his political ambition and every other things he may choose to do with the said alleged forged certificate since the management of Yaba Tech has certified him fit to use the certificate.
Furthermore, we also wish to call on the hired political jobbers to carry out this dastardly mission, Nigerians and the management of Sahara Reporters not to hesitate to call on this aforementioned chamber for more clarifications concerning this certificate forgery scandal or approach the competent court of law for clarification if the need arises. Though, the media are doing their work as the watch dog of the society, but we wish to let them know that this issue has gone beyond media war. It came to the noticed of the public in the year 2015 and the Nigeria Police force in the year 2017 as we earlier stated and it was resolved in accordance with the constitution of Nigeria based on the thorough investigation they carried out as stated earlier. Therefore, if anyone feel dissatisfied with the clarification of the Nigeria Police force, the best or the appropriate authority to approach is the competent court of law which is always available to address this kind of issue. And on our own, we wish to let all those who are willing to take the case further know that; we are ever ready at all time to prove to them at whatever level that Honorable Lawal Idrissu had never and will never forged certificate of any kind talk more of academic certificate.
Again, I also wish to use this medium to call on all those that are taking law into their hands without profound findings into this matter to stop it immediately else, Honorable Lawal Idrissu will not hesitate to take the necessary actions against them haven been patient and kind enough to the political detractors sponsoring these lies against him. His quietness doesn’t mean he is guilty of the allegation, he is been quite over the fact that he is a leader of all including those who are going about tarnishing his hard earned image. Moreover, this matter even came up in the year 2015 when he was contesting for first tenure to represent Ajaokuta Federal Constituency at the lower chamber of the National Assembly. Then, the election tribunal and the election appeal tribunal both exonerated him of any wrong doing else, he wouldn’t have been able to contest for the 2015 general election which he contested and won.
In this connection, we want to call on all those who orchestrated the publication on the Sahara Reporters to immediately retract it else, an instant legal action will be taken against them.
This Rider publication is for and on-behalf of Honorable Lawal Idrissu, Honorable Member Representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency of Kogi State in the National Assembly.