Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
An Ebonyi State High Court sitting in Obiozara, Ohaozara LGA, has dismissed a forgery and impersonation case leveled against members of the Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oguduokwor Ward in Onicha LGA of Ebonyi State.
The allegations were leveled against them by the embattled National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the South-East, Mr. Ali Odefa, shortly after they announced his suspension from the party in October last year.
After the allagtions by Mr. Odefa, some Police operatives in Ebonyi State abducted the trio of Sunday Ogbonnaya Idika, Njoku Nwagu and Obinna Chukwu alongside a former state acting Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Augustine Nwazunku.
They were subsequently arraigned before the court for forgery, impersonation and being members of a secret cult group.
The four were initially taken before a Magistrate Court which declined jurisdiction, but remanded them in Abakaliki prison.
They were later transferred to Afikpo prison from where they were re-arraigned before, Justice G. N. Ugbala of the State High Court.
The four were in detention between October 6, 2024, when they were arrested and December 12, 2024, when they were granted bail by the High Court.
When their trial commenced, neither the police nor Mr. Ali Odefa were able to present any evidence to back up the accusations leveled against the party officials.
On Tuesday March 4, 2025, when the matter came up in court, the lead Counsel to the PDP Executives, Mudi Erhenede moved a motion for the case to be struck out.
He argued that it was obvious that there was no evidence to back up the accusations leveled against the PDP officials.
In his ruling, Justice Ugbala Ugbala expressed displeasure over the inability of both Mr. Odefa and the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) to diligently prosecute the matter.
He therefore granted the motion and struck out and discharged all the four defendants.
Reacting, one of the lawyers to the PDP officials, Friday Nwazunku, lamented the use of Police to arrest and incarcerate the PDP officials on frivolous allegations.
He commented the Judge for discharging the matter.
“It was obvious that neither Mr. Odefa nor the DPP had any case against the accused, it was just a case of misuse of the police to intimidate people in the name of politics,” he said.
