Like Umo Bassey Eno, the governor-elect of Akwa Ibom State who is currently battling to ensure he gets sworn in on May 29 after a petition alleging he forged his West African Examination Council (WAEC)/Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) certificate and getting expelled from the school for it, was tabled before the state’s Election Petition Tribunal, the same fate has befallen Peter Mbah, the governor-elect of Enugu State. Only this time, it is his National Youth Service Corps certificate dated January 6th, 2003 with No. A808297. And unless something is done fast about it, he may as well forget about throwing an inauguration party on May 29.
Chijioke Edeoga, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the state, is alleging in his petition filed at the Election Petition Tribunal that Mbah forged his NYSC certificate. And what is more damning is the fact that the NYSC director, Corps Certification, Ibrahim A. Muhammad, said the corps did not issue the certificate Mbah presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ahead of the March 2023 governorship election.
First, Mbah and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on whose platform he contested the governorship election, denied the forgery describing it as the conjecture of an indolent opposition and the last kick of a dying horse. He then went to court to get an injunction preventing further scrutiny on the certificate. Then he asked the Tribunal to dismiss Edeoga’s petition as it was not signed by the National Chairman of the party who is empowered by law to sign every petition presented before any tribunal on behalf of the party.
Citing several other reasons why the tribunal should dismiss the petition, Mbah claimed that the Election Tribunal itself lacked the jurisdiction to hear and take a decision on the matter as it had already been resolved by the court in his favour. He then accused Edeoga of being desperate to become governor as he had participated in the PDP primaries where he scored nine votes as against Mbah’s 790 votes before he moved to Labour Party.
According to Mbah, under the Electoral Act there was no way Edeoga could be considered the candidate of the Labour Party as the Act makes it mandatory for every political party to maintain a register of its members with INEC and make such a register available 30 days to the date of primaries. So it was therefore impossible for Edeoga to maintain that he was a member of the Labour Party, 30 days before the governorship primary election of the Labour Party which took place within a few weeks of that of PDP in which Edeoga contested.
In addition, Mbah accused Edeoga of going against the law, having voluntarily entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on May 19, 2022, where he vowed not to challenge the outcome of PDP primaries and the eventual outcome of the general election. Mbah alleges that Edeoga made an official statement on May 25, pledging to remain in PDP. All these Mbah claimed Edeoga did voluntarily.
It gets even more interesting. The Federal High Court, Abuja ruling on that matter again, ordered that the NYSC be restrained from issuing disclaimers about the alleged forged certificate. In other words, the court has prevented the body from telling Nigerians if Mbah’s NYSC certificate is genuine or not. Not satisfied with the court order, Mbah has now sued the NYSC and Muhammad. He is demanding N20 billion in general and exemplary damages against the defendants jointly/severally; for conspiracy, deceit, and misrepresentation of facts. In the writ of summons, Mbah is equally seeking a declaration that he participated in the NYSC scheme for one calendar year vide a call-up letter number FRN/2001/800351; Lagos code LA/01/1532 and upon completion was issued certificate of National Service No. A808297.
But the Labour Party has refused to be cowered and has vowed to petition the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN over the court judgement, which it refers to as a funny judgement.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
