Alleged Certificate Forgery: Court To Hear NYSC’s Objection In Gov. Mbah’s Suit

*Rejects LP Candidate, Edeoga’s Joinder Application

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, fixed July 11 for definite hearing of the N20 billion suit the Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Peter Mbah, slammed against the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.

Justice Inyang Ekwo okayed full blown hearing of the case, on a day he struck out an application the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the last governorship election in the state, Mr. Chijioke Edeoga, filed to be joined as an interested party in the matter.

It will be recalled that the court had on May 15, issued an order of interim injunction that restrained the NYSC from issuing or publishing a disclaimer to disown the certificate of service the Enugu state governor tendered in aid of his qualification to contest the gubernatorial poll that held in the state on March 18.

The court directed that the restraining order should be served on NYSC’s Director of Corps Certification, Mr. Ibrahim Muhammad.

The order followed an ex-parte application that was brought before the court by the governor who was accused of submitting a forged NYSC certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Mbah had in the application he filed through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Emeka Ozoani, SAN, maintained that contrary to the allegation against him, he was on January 6, 2003, issued a certificate of service No. A. 808297, upon the completion of his NYSC.

He told the court that after he studied law and graduated from the University of East London in 2000, he returned to Nigeria and as a pre-requisite to practice as a lawyer, applied and was admitted into the Bar Part 1 programme of the Nigerian Law School.

“The plaintiff upon competing the Bar Part 1 exam had to wait for the Bar Part II programme. He was advised that instead of spending time idling around should proceed to the mandatory one year NYSC programme.

“The plaintiff was initially posted to Nigerian Ports Authority Apapa Quays for his primary assignment but was rejected by NPA. Subsequently, the plaintiff secured the law firm of Ude & Associates.

“The plaintiff in the course of his service year and after six months of NYSC, applied and was granted approval to defer the NYSC in other to enable him complete the Bar final exam.

“Thereafter, the plaintiff was re-mobilized to finish the NYSC programme, which he did completed.”

He told the court that he was called up for the NYSC and was deployed to Lagos where he served as a corp member.

Mbah alleged an attempt to smear his public image through the publication of a disclaimer by the NYSC to disown his certificate.

Cited as 1st and 2nd defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/611/2023, are the NYSC and its Director, Corps Certification, Muhammad.

At the resumed proceedings in the matter on Tuesday, counsel to the NYSC, Mr. Aminu Sadauki, told the court that he filed a notice of preliminary objection to challenge the competence of the suit.

Meanwhile, before adjourning the case to hear both the substantive suit and the objection, Justice Ekwo, warned against delibrate misrepresentation of proceedings of the court in the media.