The trial of alleged certificate forgery case by Akan Okon against Pastor Umo Eno in Akwa Ibom State has suffered another setback as court granted counsel to the defendant leave to attend to his failing health.
At the resumed hearing in the Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom on Wednesday, August 31, Paul Usoro, SAN, counsel to the defendant had sought adjournment for the case on the grounds that he was sick and needed a month to attend to his failing health.
The court had adjourned the ongoing certificate forgery saga against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Pastor Eno, to August 31, 2022 for hearing of the substantive suit.
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The adjournment followed a motion on notice for amendment of claims filed by the Plaintiff, Mr Akan Okon, dated August 29, 2022 and also served the Respondents same Monday during court proceedings.
The court presided over by Justice Agatha Okeke had adjourned the case with suit number FHC/UY/CS/110/2022 till August 29, 2022 for the commencement of hearing.
However, when the matter came up Monday, the Plaintiff, Mr. Akan Okon who was supposed to open his case, appealed to file an amendment to his earlier motion, supported by an affidavit.
The motion on notice was filed by the plaintiff’s new lead Counsel, Okey Amaechi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, during the court proceedings.
In the motion, Okon sought the leave of the court to amend their originating processes in the suit, including writ of summons, statement of claims, written statement on oath, list of documents and list of witnesses.
He also pleaded with the Court to grant him leave to amend his earlier reply to the 1st and 2nd Defendants’ Statement of Defence and all accompanying processes.
But Counsel to Eno and the PDP, (first and second Respondents/defendants), Usoro told the Court that having just been served with a fresh motion for amendment of processes, he would look at it before responding.
The trial session
Earlier, Okon had told the court that he would rely on the testimony of a contentious Professor Jideoni Charles, who was disowned by the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, when he paraded himself as both a “Professor of English and a Professor of Graphognomy”, until the University denounced and disowned him in 2019.
The presiding judge, Justice Okeke was unhappy at the request of Usoro which the court saw as a delayed tactics to hear the case.
Okeke rejected the plea but adjourned the case to September 12, 2022 for accelerated hearing on the case.
