Fact-Check: Abuja Court Did Not Disqualify APC’s Edo Gubernatorial Candidate Okpebholo Over Age Falsification!

BY: Mustapha Lawal

Claim:  

A viral claim circulating on social media alleges that Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Edo State governorship election, was disqualified by an Abuja Court due to age falsification.

Verdict:  

False! The APC candidate, Monday Okpebholo was not disqualified over age falsification. He was taken to court and has been summoned to appear in a suit concerning age falsification and alleged discrepancies about his age. However, an FCT High Court has stopped the criminal summons.

Full Text:  

Ahead of the Edo State governorship election, several claims about the withdrawal and disqualification of candidates have been making rounds on social media. These claims have been gaining traction, spreading confusion among voters and causing a stir in political circles as the election approaches.

An X user (formerly Twitter) posted an image on September 20, 2024, claiming that Monday Okpebholo, the governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), was disqualified for falsifying his age.  The viral post which was also shared by some blogs and other social media users suggests that Okpebholo was caught falsifying his age in official documents, leading to his disqualification by the court. 

Supporters of opposing candidates, as well as neutral observers, have raised questions about the legitimacy of this claim, prompting the need for an in-depth investigation.

Verification:  

FactCheckAfrica found no evidence to support the claim that any court, including an Abuja court, has disqualified Monday Okpebholo from contesting the upcoming election due to age falsification. Neither INEC nor any reputable news outlets have reported any such disqualification.

Findings from our investigations revealed that on September 13, 2024, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Honesty Aginbatse, instituted a court case alleging discrepancies in the birth dates submitted by Monday Okpebholo to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to the suit, Okpebholo’s 2023 senate nomination form indicated his birth date as March 29, 1970. He alleged that in other submissions, Okpebholo’s 2024 governorship nomination forms contain conflicting birth dates: August 29, 1970, on an age declaration, August 29, 1972, on his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate, and August 1, 1977, on his INEC voter’s card.

On September 19, 2024, while hearing the suit, Abubakar Mukhtar, the presiding magistrate ruled that Okpebholo be summoned to appear before the magistrate in Abuja at noon (tomorrow) September 20, 2024.

However, an FCT High Court sitting in Maitama stopped criminal summons against Monday Okpebholo, the APC governorship candidate in the Saturday governorship election in Edo. While ruling on the motion ex-parte moved by Okpebholo’s lawyer, Adaze Emwanta, Justice O.C. Agbaza stopped the summons after granting leave for the judicial review of Magistrate Abubakar Mukhtar’s criminal summons. The judge, in the ruling on the motion marked: M/12340/2024 on Wednesday and the certified true copy of the order made available Thursday, adjourned the matter until Oct. 28 for a hearing.

The Cable also reported that Abubakar Mukhtar, the magistrate in the federal capital territory (FCT) denied making any order disqualifying Monday Okpebholo, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state. The presiding magistrate described the information circulating as “false and misleading”.

“It is hereby ordered that the general public be informed that the story circulating regarding the purported disqualification of Senator Monday Okpebholo from the Edo state governorship election due to age falsification and forgery is entirely false and misleading,” Mukhtar said.

Justice Abubakr furthered that “No judgment has been delivered in this court today, and no verdict has been reached in the above-mentioned case. The allegations of age falsification and forgery against Okpebholo are currently under investigation, and the defendant was summoned to appear before this court. The matter remains pending”

“Pursuant to section 133 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, spreading false information is punishable by imprisonment. This will be invoked on the writer and publisher of the fake judgment.”

Conclusion:  

The claim that an Abuja court disqualified Monday Okpebholo over age falsification is false. As of the time of this report, Okpebholo remains the APC’s candidate in the Edo State governorship election, with no legal disqualifications stemming from the court case related to his age. Voters are encouraged to disregard this false claim and rely on verified information from credible sources.