Senator Ovie Omo AgegeA High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Bwari, has dismissed a suit seeking the sack of Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, over allegations of perjury.
Justice Othman Musa ruled today, January 29, that Omo-Agege was never convicted by any court in the US.
A Non-Governmental Organisation, the Incorporated Trustees of Patriotic Youth Organisation of Nigeria, had instituted the suit and named Omo-Agege, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as first, second and third respondents respectively.
Justice Musa dismissed all the reliefs sought by the claimant on the grounds that Omo-Agege was never a convict or convicted by the court in America.
Answering one of the questions of the claimant, the court held that Omo-Agege was not under any obligation to inform INEC whether he was under a sentence or had been convicted since there has never been a conviction.
The judge maintained that from the judgment of the American court exhibited by Omo-Agege, the court dismissed that charge against him and that did not translate to an indictment or a conviction.
Moreover, the judge held that a judicial commission of inquiry was not equal to a court of law and that it was only a competent court of law that could convict.
Although Omo-Agege had asked the claimant to pay him N100 million as damages, the court awarded N1 million in his favour.
The group had asked the court for some reliefs including an order of court declaring that Omo-Agege committed perjury by lying to INEC.
Omo-Agege’s lawyer, Alex Iziyon, told reporters after the court’s verdict that his client had always maintained his innocence.
He said his client would accept the N1 million damage awarded him by the court.
