Justice Tijjani Garuba Ringim sitting in Federal High Court, Lagos on Wednesday has fixed November 9, 2021, for the re-arraignment of two lawyers, accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to have manipulated the 2018 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) election that produced Mr Paul Usoro (SAN) as NBA President.
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The two lawyers to be re-arraigned are Sarah Omeigha Ajibola and John Ozovehe Demide.
The two lawyers were formally arraigned before Justice (Prof) Chuka Austine Obiozor, who has been transferred to another Judicial Division of the court, sometimes last year, on a 14-count charge of conspiracy and cybercrime-related offences.
They have denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At the resumed hearing of the charges against the two lawyers on Tuesday, there was no legal representatives on the side of the prosecuting agency, the EFCC, while the two defendants were represented by the trio of N. Oragwu, A. Abdulsalam and S. Soladoye.
Due to the absence of prosecuting team coupled with the fact that the matter is coming up before the court for the first time, Justice Ringim, adjourned the matter till November 9, for the re-arraignment of the two lawyers.
The EFCC in a charge marked FHC/L/118c/2020, accused Serah and John of manipulated about 1004 eligible votes, that gave Usoro victory over other contenders.
The EFCC’s prosecutor, Mrs. Bilikisu Buhari Bala, had told the court that the defendants in August, 2018, conspired among themselves and altered both the email addresses and phone numbers of about 1004 eligible voters for the national elections of NBA, which they acted upon as genuine.
The two lawyers were alleged to have committed the act to favour the former NBA President, Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN).
The two lawyers were alleged to have used the smoke model on IP address 169.159.65.190 to commit the electoral fraud.
Some of the voters’ names allegedly falsified by the two lawyers include Gabriel Abijo Oladipo with Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCN) No. 043280; Uthman Adeleye Oluwaseun with SCN No. 088449; David Anakor SCN No. 015233; Chiagoziem Bethel Aninilu, SCN No. 114439 and Bankole Isaac Toyin with SCN no. 024643.
The offences according to the prosecutor, are contrary to and punishable under sections 27(1)(b), 13, 22(2), 22(3) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention etc) Act, 2015.
Count one of the charges against the two lawyers read: “that you, Sarah Omeigha Ajibola and John Ozovehe Demide sometime in August 2018, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to knowingly alter the e-mail addresses and phone numbers of about 1004 National (One Thousand and Four) eligible voters of the Nigerian Bar Association 2018 elections with the intention that such inauthentic data will be acted upon as genuine during the said election and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(b} of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) ACT, 2015 and punishable under Section 13 of the same Act.
Another count reads: “that you, John Ozovehe Demide sometime on the 19th day of August 7, 2018, within the jurisdiction of this Court fraudulently used the unique identification features such as Name and Supreme Court Enrolment Number 509043280 of one Gabriel Abijo Oladipo to vote as the same Gabriel Abijo Oladipo through your Smite modem on IP address 169.159.65.190 to vote with intent of gaining electoral advantage in favour of Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN) who was one of the Presidential Aspirants during the 2018 Nigerian Bar Association elections and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12 (1) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) ACT, 2015, under the same Act.
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