The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, struck out a suit seeking the disqualification of Governor Godwin Obaseki from contesting the governorship election in Edo State for allegedly forging his university certificate.

The plaintiffs, Edobor Williams, Ugesia Godwin and Amedu Anakhu, filed the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/553/2020, on May 29.

They filed the suit ahead of the governorship election scheduled to hold in the state on September 19.

The All Progressive Congress (APC), which was the governor’s former party, the Inspector-General of Police and Mr Obaseki are respondents respectively.

The plaintiffs alleged in the suit that the University of Ibadan certificate which Mr Obaseki attached to his Form CF.001 and submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for his first term election in 2016 was forged.

They argued that the governor’s educational information contained in Part C of the Form CF 001 which he submitted to INEC on July 12, 2016, and the first-degree certificate of Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies, said to have been obtained from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, was forged.

The plaintiffs said the offence contravenes Section 182(1)(i) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), which therefore makes Mr Obaseki “not qualified to run or seek the office of the governor of Edo state” in the forthcoming 2020 governorship election; and“not qualified to run or seek the office of Governor of Edo State under the platform of the first defendant (APC) in the governorship election scheduled to hold in the state on September 19, 2020.”

But on Monday, Justice Anwuli Chikere struck out the suit as no lawyer for the plaintiffs and defendants were present in court.

Mr Obaseki has since decamped from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on whose platform he will seek re-election.

His main challenger is Osagie Ize-Iyamu who is now the APC candidate.

Mr Ize-Iyamu was the PDP candidate in 2016 who lost to Mr Obaseki.