The Labour Party on Wednesday accused the Enugu State Governor-elect, Peter Mbah (PDP) of an ‘inordinate’ desire to compromise every institution of the state in order to remain in power.
It also accused the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General YD Ahmed, of refusing to respond to a memo by the Inspector General of Police on the matter.
It noted that “More than three months after and in direct derision of the powers of the Court, the Director General of NYSC being a Military man and having access to a gun has refused to respond to the AIG despite the letter being ordered by the Court”.
A statement on Wednesday by the acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, stated “Worse is the fact that Mr. Mbah has commenced syndicated actions to compromise every institution of state just to sustain himself in power.
“Now we shall painstakingly chronicle the events as they have occurred to make it easy for Nigerians and the media to engage with and ensure we stop this recklessness before it gets too late.
“Sometime in November 2022, a Law firm, Omas and Partners sent a letter to the Director General of NYSC seeking verification of the CTC of the Certificate of National Service with Nos A.808297 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission by Mr. Peter Mbah.
“In a letter dated 1st February, 2023 the NYSC confirmed that the certificate was not issued by the Corps.
“Upon receipt of the letter, a Civil Society group, Total Support for the Rule of Law and Justice Initiative, commenced a direct criminal complaint at the Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 6 in a suit marked CR/24/23. By a letter dated 6th February, 2023, Chief Magistrate His Worship Emmanuel Iyanna ordered the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 7 to cause an investigation in respect of the allegation and report back to the Court within two weeks.
“It was at this stage that the NGO in question addressed the media and called on Mr. Peter Mbah to withdraw from the Governorship contest and apologize to the people of Enugu state, having been exposed for his forgery.
“At that point, all hell was let loose and Mr. Peter Mbah began implementation of a grand design to compromise all institutions of state.
“It will interest Nigerians in general, and the media in particular, to note that the AIG in obedience to the Court action swung into action by writing to the Director General of the NYSC.
“More than three months after and in direct derision of the powers of the Court, the Director General of NYSC being a Military man and having access to a gun has refused to respond to the AIG despite the letter being ordered by the Court.
“There can be no worse level of disobedience to civil authority than this. Unfortunately, this was after Mr. Peter Mbah was identified to have visited the Headquarters of the Corps in Maitama, Abuja.
“Again, on 10th February 2023 while being a lawyer and knowing the basics about jurisdiction of Courts, Mr. Peter Mbah filed a Suit marked EN/84/23 against INEC at the Enugu State High Court seeking injunctive reliefs to restrain the Commission from removing/withdrawing his name or simply disqualifying him due to the forgery of the certificate.
“While the above named Suit was still pending in the Enugu state High Court, Mr. Peter Mbah hired a shady group, the Registered Trustees of Peoples Wellbeing Association, to file a defective Suit against him.
“The Suit was marked FCT/HC/2399/2033. Upon filing the Suit without certifying public documents attached to the Suit, the hired Claimant also refused or neglected to file either a further affidavit or Counter affidavit in opposition to the Counterclaim by Mr. Mbah.
“From reading a copy of the judgment, the collusion between the parties will be very obvious even on the surface and it is shameful that the Court had to be desecrated to this extent just to conceal the forgery.
“As usual, in order to hide a lie, another lie needs to be told. Knowing that the order of the FCT High Court he earlier secured could not save him from the impending outcome of the challenge of the forgery at the Enugu State Governorship Election Tribunal, Mr. Peter Mbah continued his forum shopping.
“Again he filed Suit FHC/ABJ/CS/611/2023, this time against the NYSC and its Director, Corps Certification, Ibrahim A. Muhammad. It was shocking to hear the prayers Mr. Mbah sought via Exparte application.
“In the Motion he filed he sought two orders: An order of interim injunction restraining the Defendants or Respondents whether by themselves their directors, officers, servants legal representatives, counsel or any other person or persons howsoever described and connected, from issuing, publishing, or continued to issue, publish disclaimer to the effect that the NYSC Certificate of National Service dated 6th January, 2023, Certificate Nos. A.808297 issued to Plaintiff Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah in accordance with Section 11 of the National youth Service Corps Decree No. 51 of 1993 was not issued by the National Youth Service Corps pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction filed in this Suit.
“An Order of Interim Injunction restraining the Defendants individually collectively, whether by themselves their directors, officers, servants, counsel, professional advisers, legal representatives, tribunal or any other person natural or legal in receipt or knowledge of the aforesaid disclaimer issued or published by the defendants in the supposition that the NYSC Certificate of National Service No. A.808297 belonging to Mr. Peter Mbah was not issued by the Defendants not to rely, countenance or accord any probative evidential value on it pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction filed in this Suit.
“The learned judge granted prayer one above. The funny, but very painful implication, is that NYSC has been stopped by the Federal High Court from stating the fact that they did not issue to Mr. Peter Mbah the certificate he parades.
Prayer two was not granted by the Court.
“But the prayer sought by Mr. Peter Mbah was targeted at the Governorship election tribunal. It is intended to stop any staff of the NYSC from attending the Tribunal as a witness to testify against Mr. Peter Mbah.
“Even where a testimony is given, the prayer is also to stop the Tribunal from according any probative evidential value to such testimony. Mr. Peter Mbah wants to gag everybody from speaking about the forgery of the certificate.
“His people have also been boasting that the Judge has assured them once NYSC enters appearance in the Suit the order will be granted and NYSC cannot testify at the Tribunal. You can imagine the type of character who wants to become the Governor of Enugu State!
“It is to ensure that the judicial pronouncements of the Court in this matter are seen as just, fair and untainted that the Labour Party publicly calls on Justice Inyang Ekwo to recuse himself from further hearing this matter and remit the file back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.
“Otherwise how will it be explained to the ordinary man that after boasting by supporters of Mr. Peter Mbah that the judge has assured them of an order such as this the order is eventually granted? How will the people have confidence in the Court?
“At this point, we ask the following question: Mr. Peter Mbah, if your Certificate of National Service is genuine, would you need to be running from Court to Court to gag people and institutions not to talk about it?
“Mr. Peter Mbah, if your certificate is genuine, why do you need several court pronouncements and forum shopping to validate it?
“It is very unfortunate that the Inspector General of Police has developed cold feet in the investigation of the forgery allegations against Mr. Peter Mbah.
“It is also very nauseating to observe that at a time the NYSC is celebrating its 50 years of beautiful records and existence, the present Director General of the Corps has decided to destroy a long history of reputation of the NYSC by refusing to respond to the inquiry ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction to the AIG Zone.
“It is therefore consequent on the above that the Labour Party has resolved to take the following steps: Petition the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Chairman of the National Judicial Council over the funny court orders being issued by judges in this case.
“Petition the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to transfer suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/611/2023 from the Court handling it to another Court.
“Petition the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to investigate allegations of forum shopping by Mr. Peter Mbah and his lawyers.
“Petition the Inspector General of Police to immediately conclude investigation into the forgery allegation and write back to the Court which ordered the investigation.
“Gentlemen, these are the facts and figures of the state of affairs in the case of forgery of certificate by Mr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, the INEC-declared Governor-elect of Enugu state. We must all join hands as patriotic citizens to hold those who seek to lead us accountable.
“Forging public documents and compromising security and judicial institutions in a bid to conceal the facts must be condemned by all.
By his own hands, on 26th June, 2006, Mr. Peter Mbah wrote in a statement under caution before the EFCC that he served in Lagos during the 2002/2003 Batch A and that his place of primary assignment was in the Chambers of Nnaemeka P. Agu.
“At other times, Mr. Mbah has also at other times stated that his primary assignment was in the Chambers of Victor Udeh of Udeh & Associates.
“Mr. Peter Mbah also released a letter purported to have been a clearance letter from Udeh & Associates which was not signed by any known lawyer. Law Firms do not sign letters, lawyers do. Where exactly did Mr. Peter Mbah serve?
“In the Statement under reference, Mr. Peter Mbah insisted that Victor Udeh was never his boss but just a family friend, yet the same Victor Udeh’s chambers purporting to clear him that he had conducted his NYSC assignment and should be paid by the Corps. How exactly did Mr. Peter Mbah get the Certificate he issued to himself?
In the coming days, the Labour Party will do all within its powers to prove that Mr. Peter Mbah was not qualified to contest the election of Governor of Enugu State, having presented a forged certificate to INEC and did not win the election”.
