A Federal High Court in Abuja grants Amobi Ogah leave to compel INEC to prosecute Minister Nkeiruka Onyejeocha over alleged forgery of election results

A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted a member of the House of Representatives, Amobi Godwin Ogah, leave to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prosecute the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, over alleged forgery of election results in 62 polling units during the 2023 general elections.

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Justice M.G. Umar, in a ruling delivered on September 23, 2025, held that Ogah, who represents the Isikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State, had presented sufficient evidence to justify the court’s discretion.

Onyejeocha, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the election, had previously challenged Ogah’s victory at the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, claiming she won the poll.

However, Ogah, who ran on the Labour Party platform, accused her of forging documents tendered before the tribunal as evidence of her purported victory. Onyejeocha eventually lost the case.

In his motion before the court, Ogah alleged that the minister fabricated election results in several polling units, submitting them as official documents to the tribunal and the Court of Appeal.

According to the affidavit filed by Ogah, “Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha forged the results in respect of the listed polling units and passed them off as authentic INEC documents. She attempted to mislead the judiciary by presenting forged exhibits before the courts.”

Ruling on the matter, Justice Umar said the court found merit in Ogah’s application and granted him leave to seek an Order of Mandamus compelling INEC to investigate and prosecute Onyejeocha.

“I am satisfied that the applicant has placed relevant materials before this court, and I am thereby persuaded to exercise discretion in favour of the applicant,” the judge stated.

He added:

“An order is hereby made granting leave to the applicant to apply for an Order of Mandamus against INEC to investigate and prosecute Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejeocha for the alleged forgery of election results within the Isikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency.”

Earlier in April, Onyejeocha, through her media aide, dismissed Ogah’s claims as false and unfounded, insisting the allegations had been “trashed out long ago.”

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The court’s decision now empowers Ogah to formally seek INEC’s prosecution of the minister over the alleged electoral forgery.