By Chukwudi Nweje
Immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, yesterday, disowned campaign posters with his image, suggesting that he is contesting for the position of the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Bello in a statement endorsed by his Media Office, dated January 30, 2024, described the posters as the handiwork of the opposition parties, some mischief makers, and fifth columnists within the APC, who are bent on causing confusion in the ruling party.
The statement noted Bello is a committed party member, who is very loyal to the national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje. It further stated that the APC was neither conducting congresses nor a convention, thus, there is no reason for anyone to indicate interest in an office that is not vacant.
It urged members of the public to disregard the mischief makers and the false impression that the posters created.
The statement read: “We are aware of the clandestine moves by some mischief makers to create confusion within the hierarchy of the All Progressives Congress (APC). This is the handiwork of some opposition leaders and some fifth columnists within the party
“A part of the plans already being hatched is the circulation of campaign posters with the picture of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, insinuating that he is contesting for the position of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress. The insinuation is infantile, false, and should be disregarded.
“Our party is not in the process of conducting congresses or a convention, therefore, there is absolutely no basis for anyone to circulate any posters for party office.
“Let it be made abundantly clear that His Excellency, Alhaji Bello did not authorise anyone to circulate any poster on his behalf as he remains a loyal party man, who is committed to the leadership of the national chairman of the party, His Excellency, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.
“We urge members of the public to disregard the mischief of the people circulating posters to create a false impression.”
Good Governance Group (E-3G) has threatened to mobilise people to file a class action against the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) if it failed to tender an open apology over its claims that Governor Peter Mbah forged his discharge certificate.
It applauded the Department of State Services (DSS) for clearing the air on the discharge certificate controversy between the NYSC and the governor.
National Coordinator of E-3G, Odinaka Okechukwu, in a statement, yesterday, described the NYSC as a metaphor for rots in the nation’s public institutions, wondering how many ordinary Nigerians might have had their prospects truncated by the agency’s alleged negligence, poor record keeping, and lack of accountability.
The group urged Mbah to pursue his N20 billion lawsuit against the NYSC for alleged conspiracy, deceit, and misrepresentation of facts, noting that the agency’s willful defamation of the state’s number one citizen allegedly typified its “ineptitude, shoddy investigation, coverup, and compromise.”
The DG while giving evidence at the tribunal, had alleged that the governor’s NYSC certificate was forged and did not emanate from the organisation.
However, in their evidence, the DSS indicted the NYSC of shoddy and hasty investigation in coming to the conclusion that the certificate was fake, saying certificates in Mbah’s series were found to have been issued to corps members in Lagos, contrary to NYSC’s claim.
The DSS investigation into the certificate saga as rendered in the statement on oath and evidence adduced by its subpoenaed witness, Yahaya Isa Mohammed, before the Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, alleged that Mbah’s initial file with the NYSC got missing at some point prompting the agency to start using a temporary file for him.
The security agency averred that in NYSC’s response to Mbah’s application for deferment of his service to enable him return to the Nigerian Law School for his final bar programme, the file number was LA/10/1532, while in their response to his request, the file number was LA/01/1532/T, with ‘T’ standing for temporary file.
Mohammed said: “That the difference in Mbah’s certificate number compared to others that were mobilised at the same time, is due to the inability of NYSC to trace the initial file where the first certificate A678 was.
“That from the documents presented by NYSC regarding certificate numbers, about twelve (12) certificate numbers (A808297-A808308) which includes that of Mbah, remained unaccounted for in the eight (8) series by the NYSC.
That the NYSC did not do a thorough job before concluding that the certificate Mbah presented is fake. That the Director, Corps Certification, failed to exploit all available avenue to ensure that due diligence was done before issuing statement on the matter.
That upon insistence by the Service (DSS) for the NYSC to check their records properly, it was discovered that ‘8-Series’ certificates were issued to some Corps members, who served in Lagos State as Dr. Peter Mbah, contrary to the agency’s earlier claim that ‘8-Series’ certificates were not issued in Lagos State.
“That contrary to NYSC’s claim that its certificates series were state-based, all certificate series including the “8-Series” were issued in all the states of the federation.
That the NYSC did not have a proper record, thus resulting in the misplacement of Mbah’s initial file by NYSC and the use of temporary file for him as well as its inability to trace whom or which State(s) twelve (12) of its certificates (A808297 to A808308) were issued.”
The DSS also wondered why the NYSC would claim that Mbah’s supposed ‘6-Series’ certificate was part of the certificates shredded or destroyed by it in the past, and still claim that he did not serve, stating categorically that ‘the failure of the NYSC to maintain a proper record keeping system was the cause of its inability to trace Peter Mbah’s initial certificate.