A Magistrate court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has sentenced a House of Representatives member, Hon. Victor Mela to one month in prison for perjury.
According to the court in its ruling on Friday, the lawmaker was convicted for lying under oath. However, Mela was given an option fine.
The lawmaker, who represents Billiri/Balanga federal constituency of Gombe state, was convicted for lying under oath in the CD001 INEC form he completed ahead of the 2019 election. He claimed he did not have dual citizenship while possessing a British passport which shows he is a citizen of Britain.
His conviction follows his prosecution by the police in Abuja. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2019 and is vice-chairman of the solid minerals committee.
Mela, who was born in 1973, earned a degree in geology from the University of Jos in 1999 and a Master’s in sedimentology and petroleum geology from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in 2006.
