Suswam confident of victory in certificate forgery case

 

 

 

 

 

Youths protest ‘miscarriage of justice in favour of Suswam’

FOLLOWING the Appeal Court ruling, which ordered for a re-trial of the certificate forgery petition filed by the All Nigerian Peoples Party’s (ANPP) governorship candidate in the last election, Prof. Daniel Saror, against Governor Gabriel Suswam, the Benue State government has expressed unshakeable faith in the judiciary.

Addressing a press conference at the Benue Hotels in Makurdi, the state capital, shortly after the ruling, Special Adviser to Suswam on Media and Public Affairs, Dr. Cletus Akwaya said the governor has been fully briefed and unlike his opponents, has taken the ruling with calmness.

Suswam, according to Akwaya, has urged his supporters to remain calm, law abiding and continue to be supportive of his administration, assuring that competent lawyers have been hired to appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court.

Akwaya spoke just as youths numbering over 600 suspected to be Suswam’s opponents, blocked the popular Wurukum round-about linking the north to the eastern part of the country in protest against what they tagged, ‘Benue Tribunal: Miscarriage of Justice in favour of Governor Suswam.’

Initially, it was unclear which group was behind the mayhem, but it was later noticed that some of the irate youths, under the aegis of Benue Monitoring Group, carried a coffin with the inscription, ‘Obituary for PDP.’

As a result, workers who had prepared to resume at their various offices that morning had to scamper for safety as the angry youths chanted war songs and burnt tyres, blocking the major roads linking Makurdi.

Just as the confusion engulfed the major roundabout, another group, National Union of Benue Students (NUBESS) were seen circulating fliers around Wurukum Market area to the state university gate, accusing Suswam of allowing arbitrary increase in their school fees.

In a sharp reaction to the pandemonium in the Wurukum area, the state government condemned in strong terms the protests just as it warned leaders of opposition parties and their sponsors to desist forthwith or face the wrath of the law.

Akwaya quoted Suswam as directing the police and other security agencies to employ all lawful means to maintain law and order in all the nooks and crannies of the state.

Meanwhile, Suswam’s class-mates at Government College, Makurdi, 1982 set, have described the certificate forgery allegation as the handiwork of backstabbers and warned them to stop dragging their friend’s name into the mud.

Addressing journalists at the Benue Hotels in Makurdi yesterday, class Governor of the set, Mr. Asue Mede said the set has a duty to set the records straight and put the gossipers to shame.

While presenting copies of the computer printout of the controversial certificates, which were brought by the present Principal of the school, Honourable David Asema Chahul, the set said Suswam scored six credits at a sitting.

Author of this article: From Joseph Wantu, Makurdi