A member of the House of Representatives from Akwa Ibom State, Nse Bassey Ekpeyong, is facing a nine-count charge of forgery.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Ekpeyong for presenting to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a National Diploma certificate purportedly issued by the Abia State Polytechnic in November 2012, with the intent that it might be acted upon as genuine.
This, according to the EFCC in the charges filed at the Federal High Court ,Uyo, is contrary to Section 1 (2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M 17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and punishable under Section 1 (2) of the same law.
He is also alleged to have on December 18, 2014, at the INEC headquarters, altered the same document, with intent to present it as genuine ,contrary to Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M 17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and punishable under Section 1 (2) of the same law.
The commission also accused Ekpeyong of presenting an Abia State Polytechnic National Diploma statement of result in Business Administration with registration No.2009NDE/3829/BA dated November 22, 2012 with intent to present it as genuine, contrary to Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M 17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and punishable under Section 1 (2) of the same law.
In count four, EFCC accused him of altering the same statement of result ,while in count five he is accused of forging a West African Senior School Certificate No. NGWASSCP 557610.
He allegedly presented the same WASCE certificate to INEC with intent to present it as genuine.
EFCC further said Ekpeyong altered Form C.F.001 with intent that it might be acted upon by INEC, and that sometime between July 18 and 25, 2016 admitted in written statements before an officer of the commission, Usman Adoke, that the certificates were genuine.
Source: The Nation