The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has initiated an investigation into allegations of forgery against four contestants in the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) election in Abuja.
Addressing the situation, the Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, SP Josephine Adeh, clarified that the command’s involvement is solely to investigate the claims made in a formal petition and not to interfere with the election process.
The petition, submitted on November 25 by Emeka Nze, Victorson Agbenson, and Johnchuks Onuanyim, accuses Miss Grace Ike, Yahaya Ndambabo, Miss Edeh Ogechukwu, and Jide Adeyemi of presenting forged postgraduate diploma certificates allegedly issued by the International Institute of Journalism.
According to Adeh, the petition highlighted specific discrepancies in the certificates submitted by the accused. “The command stresses that its involvement is strictly limited to investigating the allegations of forgery received via the written petition,” she stated.
As part of the investigation, the police have invited the accused individuals for questioning to verify the authenticity of the certificates. SP Adeh emphasized that this step is in line with the police’s duty to uphold the rule of law, maintain order, and safeguard democratic processes.
This clarification follows widespread social media claims suggesting that the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has a special interest in the election. SP Adeh categorically refuted these reports, labeling them as false.
The command reiterated its neutral stance, focusing solely on its legal obligation to investigate the forgery allegations. The NUJ election process remains ongoing, and stakeholders have been urged to await the investigation’s outcome.
