Police have arrested a former Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and Bayelsa Central Senatorial candidate for the 2023 elections, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Friday Konbowei Benson, over alleged certificate forgery.
According to reports, a special team of police officers attached to the office of the IGP on Wednesday, September 14, stormed Yenagoa, the state capital to arrest Benson who is the immediate-past Secretary to the State Government.
This follows the former speakers’ victory at the recently concluded PDP primaries where he defeated his rival, Moses Cleopas, the incumbent Bayelsa Central Senator.
Benson had reportedly polled 110 votes to emerge as the party’s standard bearer as against the latter, who polled 22 votes.
However, Cleopas who decried the turnout of the elections dragged Benson before the Federal High Court in Yenagoa, accusing him of alleged certificate forgery among other documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Benson has since been taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) where his statement was taken, sources disclosed.
Meanwhile, Cleopas has denied any involvement with the arrest of the PDP Senatorial Candidate.
“The Nigeria Police is not under my control, so I cannot influence them to do their job. They are doing their work.”
Upon further probes relating to his alleged written petition against Benson which eventually led to his arrest, Cleopas said he has a right to write a petition.
“I am a Nigerian citizen who has fundamental human rights to write a petition against somebody I believe used forged documents to contest against me,” he added.
Sources close to Benson, however, said there was no cause for alarm, noting that there is nothing new in the allegations against Benson from all that are contained in the case before the Court.
The source expressed confidence that Benson would defend himself because he has nothing to hide as the allegation was a non-issue.
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