The Appellate Court ordered that one Hon Christian Abah be allowed to replace him on the ground that the allegation of certificate forgery upon which he was barred by the Federal High Court from being inaugurated has never been proved beyond reasonable doubt as demanded by law. Hassan Saleh had challenged the eligibility of Christian Abah to stand for the election because he forged an Ordinary National Diploma in Accountancy, purportedly obtained from the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, in 1985. Abah was the unopposed candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the election in the April 11, 2015 election. The Appellate Court held that the judgment of Justice Adeniyi Ademola was pervasive because the ingredients of criminality in the allegations against Abah was not proved, let alone beyond reasonable doubt. The Appeal Court judgment delivered by Justice Tani Yusuf Hassan, held that the allegation of certificate forgery brought against Hon Abah ought to have been proved before an order withdrawing the certificate of return issued to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Justice Hassan also held that the Federal High Court was wrong in its order that INEC should issue a new certificate of return to Hon. Hassan Saleh when the allegation made by Hassan Saleh against his opponent has not been proved. The court therefore upheld the certificate of return earlier issued to Christian Abah by INEC and ordered him to be inaugurated as a member of House of Representatives from Benue State. The Federal High Court had last year nullified the certificate of return issued to a Benue Rep-elect, Christian Abah, for allegedly forging a Diploma of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi which he allegedly used to secure nomination of the PDP for the 2015 general election. Justice Ademola, held that the allegation of certificate forgery against Abah by the plaintiff, Hassan Saleh, was true having been established by an election tribunal in 2011. The judge held that an earlier judgment of the National/State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, delivered on September 6, 2011, affirmed that the certificate presented by Abah to INEC was forged. He also said that a letter by the Registrar of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Suleiman Buba, affirmed that the certificate presented by Abah to INEC was forged and declared all the votes that accrued to Abah in the PDP primaries held on December 6, 2014, as wasted and also declared Saleh as winner of the election. Justice Ademola, therefore, ordered INEC to issue a fresh certificate of return to Saleh, who had aspired for the position in the primary election before the PDP declared Abah unopposed. The court had then ordered the incoming Speaker of the ‎8th National Assembly to swear in Saleh as the member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal ‎Constituency of Benue State.]]>