Court asked to order withdrawal of DSP Omo Agege’s certificate of return

A federal high court sitting in Abuja, has been asked to order the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return issued to the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

The incorporated Trustees of Empowerment for Unemployed Youths Initiative, in a suit filed through their lawyer, Mr. Edward Omaga, also prayed the court for N500million damages against the Clerk of the Senate for accepting to declare Senator Omo-Agege Deputy Senate President after his nomination and election on June 11, 2019.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/510/2020, the plaintiff said the Senator, representing Delta Central Senatorial District is not a competent, fit and proper person considering the alleged conviction hanging on his neck by the Department of the State Bar Court, sitting g in Los Angeles, California, USA, on November 30, 1995.

In the judgement of the court, the senator was allegedly sentenced to jail ams suspended from law practice for two years for felony involving moral turpitude, forgery of cheques amounting to $890 with which he intended to defraud the Bank of America.

Apart from Omo-Agege, also joined as defendants in the suit are the Clerk of the National Assembly, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

In the affidavit in support of the originating summons, deposed to, by Comrade Solomon Adodo, an Economic Rights Activist and Public Commentator,  he said the plaintiff has been monitoring the activities of politicians and public office holders, particularly at the level of compliance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria bothering on election and appointment into public offices.

The plaintiff said in the suit that it is convinced that any action or inaction of persons occupying elective and appointive position will have a direct on the overwhelming unemployed youths and continually cause them to be unproductive.

The plaintiff further alleged that in order to have a smooth sail in politics after his return to Nigeria, the Deputy Senate President removed ‘Augustine’ from his name and adopted his middle name ‘Ovie’ to avoid any sort of of linkage to his past in the USA.

According to the plaintiff, Omo-Agege was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1986 and after practising law for few years moved and moved to the United States of America in 1990 where he worked as a Foreign Associate in the law firm if Messr CharlsO. Omo-Agege and Co. in Los Angeles, California, USA.

In the suit, the plaintiff prayed the court to determine whether by the combines interpretation of Section 68(1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution, the judgement of the Hearing of the Department of the State Bar Court sitting in Los Angeles, California involving moral turpitude to wit; forgery of cheque in the amount is $890 with which he intended to defraud the Bank of America, Ahined Mehone and Elpert Defrietas in violation of California penal code section 470?

The plaintiff also prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Deputy Senate President from occupying offices senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District and Deputy Senate President of the Senator such other similar offices in the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the ground that he is not competent to, fit and proper person considering the conviction hanging on his neck per the judgement of the Hearing of the Department of the State Bar Court sitting in Los Angeles, California, USA, delivered on 30th November, 1995 whereupon theb1st defendant (Omo-Agege) was sentenced to jail and suspended from law practice for two years for felony involving moral turpitude, forgery of cheques amounting to $890 with which he intended to defraud the Bank of America, Ahined Mehone and Elpert Defrietas in violation of California penal code section 470.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.