In a dramatic turn of events, an Ebonyi State High Court sitting in Obiozara, Ohaozara LGA, has dismissed a forgery and impersonation case against the Oguduokwor Ward Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Onicha LGA. The case, spearheaded by expelled former PDP National Vice Chairman (Southeast), Ali Odefa, was thrown out after failing to hold up in court.
Odefa, after his suspension in October 2024, allegedly conspired with operatives of the Ebonyi State Police Command to abduct PDP executives Hon. Sunday Ogbonnaya Idika, Hon. Njoku Nwagu, and Hon. Obinna Chukwu, alongside former acting PDP state chairman, Dr. Augustine Nwazunku. The four were accused of forgery, impersonation, and secret cult membership in what their lawyers described as a politically motivated attempt to silence them.
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The case, initially taken to a Magistrate Court, saw the judge declining jurisdiction, leading to the accused being remanded in Abakaliki Prison before being transferred to Afikpo Prison. They languished in detention from October 6, 2024, until December 12, 2024, when the High Court granted them bail.
As the trial unfolded, neither the Nigerian Police nor Odefa could provide a shred of evidence to support the allegations. Barrister Friday Nwazunku, one of the defense lawyers, described the ordeal as “a blatant misuse of the police to intimidate political opponents.”
The presiding judge, Justice G. N. Ugbala, expressed frustration over the prosecution’s failure to present a credible case. On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Chief Mudi Erhenede, lead counsel for the PDP executives, moved a motion for the case to be struck out due to lack of evidence. In a decisive ruling, Justice Ugbala granted the motion, dismissing all charges and discharging the four defendants.
