The Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Danladi Lami, has admitted before the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi, the state capital that the Senior School Certificate Examination certificate she submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not issued to her by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).
Lami also admitted that the deed poll dated May 10, 2022, in which her name was changed from Ogenyi Danladi Lami to Danladi Lami, which she tendered before the Tribunal was not registered with the Nigerian Civil Registry.
Lami, a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ado State Constituency of Benue State in the 2023 elections made the admission on Saturday during the hearing of certificate forgery preferred against her the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate for the constituency, Uloko Agnes, who are challenging Lami’s election.
The PDP and its candidate accused Lami of presenting a forged certificate to the INEC in her form EC9 (Affidavit of personal particulars).
While being cross-examined by the petitioners’ counsel, Orseer Agena, Lami who had earlier tendered an SSCE certificate issued by the Zamfara State Ministry of Education, confirmed to the tribunal that SSCE certificates are issued by the examination body and schools where such examinations are taken but her certificate was issued to her by the state education ministry.
Lami also told the court that the name 'Ogenyi' in a deed poll dated May 10, 2022, which she tendered before the court, was not on any of the certificates she tendered to INEC.
When asked by the petitioners’ counsel why she did not fill the column for former names in her form EC9, she said she does not have a former name but the name she currently bears.
However, she admitted before the tribunal that the deed poll she tendered seeking to resolve the discrepancies in her names was not registered with the Nigerian Civil Registry.
The Chairman of the three-member panel, Justice Ory Zik-Ikeorha thereafter adjourned the matter to August 3, 2023, for the adoption of the final written address.
The petitioners in the petition marked EPT/BN/SHA/3/2023, stated that Lami presented a forged certificate to INEC in her form EC9, wherein she certified under oath that she secured a First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) and SSCE in 1998 and 2004 respectively.
They claimed that she did not secure FSLC and SSCE in those years.
The petitioners allege that contrary to the express requirement of paragraph 'C' of Form EC9, Lami did not state the name of the schools where she obtained the said qualifications used in contesting the 2023 State House of Assembly Election.
The petitioners further alleged that the information given by Lami to INEC in form EC9 wherein she said she obtained FSLC from 'Army Children' and SSCE from 'GGDSS' is false.
Also according to the petitioners, contrary to the certification made under oath by Lami that she is a member of the APC with membership No. BN/GMU/01/04301, she is not a member of the APC as the membership registration form/slip attached to the said form EC9 is that of Ogenyi Ladi Danladi with membership number BN/GMU/04301 and not that of Lami.
The petitioners argued that the exclusion of "Ogenyi" and "Ladi" in Form EC-9 and the inclusion of the same in the membership registration form attached to the said Form EC-9 is conclusive proof that the said documents are in respect of different persons.
The petitioners are therefore seeking a declaration voiding the election of the deputy speaker and declaring Agnes of the PDP as the winner of the election, amongst other reliefs.