Court convicts federal law maker for lying under oath

A magistrate court in Wuse, Zone 6, Abuja has convicted Victor Mela, a member of the house of representatives, for giving false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enable him contest the 2019 election.

The federal capital territory (FCT) police had accused Mela, who represents Billiri/Balanga federal constituency, Gombe State, of lying under oath while filing the INEC form CF001 prior to the 2019 elections.

The presiding judge has, however, set a different date for the sentence of the lawmaker after his lawyer took the plea of allocutus — a plea for mercy concerning the court judgment.

INEC had declared Mela, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the house of representatives election (Billiri/Balanga federal constituency) which held in February 2019.

Although Ali Isa, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, had challenged Mela’s victory in the election, the national assembly election petition tribunal and the court of appeal, Jos division, declared the APC candidate as the duly elected representative of Billiri/Balanga federal constituency.