Tribunal: Enugu Governor To Testify On Alleged Certificate Forgery Today

The governor of Enugu State, Mr Peter Mbah, will appear before the state governorship election petition tribunal today to answer charges partaining to his alleged certificate forgery.

The tribunal gave the order during its sitting on Thursday. The order followed an application made by the Peoples Redemption Party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr Chris Agu.

Agu, through his counsel, Ozor Alex Amujiogu, is seeking to upturn the declaration of Barr Peter Mbah as the winner of the March 18 governorship election. He alleged in his petition that Mbah is not qualified to contest the election, having allegedly forged his National Youths Service Corps discharge certificate. Agu further claims that Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party did not obtain the highest number of votes in the state to be declared winner.

During Thursday’s pre-hearing sitting, Amujiogu had told the tribunal that Mbah was supposed to be in court as a subpoenaed witness, adding however that from the affidavit deposed to by the bailiff of the tribunal, it had been difficult to serve Mbah the summon.

Amujiogu then moved an application, asking the tribunal to grant a substituted service of the summon on Mbah through his counsel.

His application was nonetheless opposed by the three respondents, the Independent National Electoral Commission, Gov Mbah and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on the grounds that it was supposed to come by way of motion, supported by an affidavit during the pre-trial session. Their submission was however overruled by the tribunal.

Justice K. M. Akano, the tribunal’s chairman, granted that the subpoena be served on Mbah through his counsel and that he should appear before the tribunal on June 23.

Meanwhile, an official of the NYSC, Barr Aliu Muhammed, appeared on behalf of the director-general of the corps during Thursday’s hearing. He however could not testify on whether Mbah’s alleged forged NYSC discharge certificate was issued by the agency, citing that an order of a Federal High, Abuja, was inhibiting them from tendering the disclaimer the corps made against Mbah’s certificate.