From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Following the judgment of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, which cleared the Enugu Governor, Peter Mbah, of certificate forgery, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded an open and unreserved apology from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The PDP, yesterday, accused the NYSC of dabbling into the politics of Enugu and rendering itself a willing tool in the hands of the opposition in the state.
A statement by the Chairman of Enugu State chapter of the party, Augustine Nnamani, said the NYSC must render the open and unreserved apology, “for conspiracy, deceit, and wilful misrepresentation of facts to destroy Governor Mbah and dislodge the PDP from Enugu State by hook or crook.”
The Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Inyang Ekwo had in its judgment, cleared Mbah of certificate forgery and awarded N5 million damages in his favour.
PDP, in the statement, accused NYSC Director General, Yusha’u Ahmed, and Director of Corps Certification, Muhammad Ibrahim, of dragging the reputation of the institution in the mud by dabbling into partisan politics.
“The judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, not only exposed the underbelly of the profiteering, conspiracy, ineptness, political partisanship and duplicity in the Governor Mbah’s NYSC discharge certificate controversy, it also exposed the same factors that have rendered our public institutions weak and ineffectual.
“For instance, in discountenancing NYSC’s claim that a purported certificate number A673517 that could have been issued to Mbah was among the outdated, uncollected, unused, and cancelled discharge certificates covering from 1999 to 2004 that were allegedly burnt in 2022 on management’s directive, the court rightly wondered how the NYSC obtained the certificates dated January 6, 2003, which they certified and tendered before the court.
“In the court’s words, to make matters worse, the certification by the stamp thereon was done on August 19, 2023, long after this case was initiated on May 4, 2023; a person can only certify a document which original he is in his possession.
“It is also a shame that in order to perfect their paid job, cover their tracks, and fool the court, the NYSC resorted to withholding Mbah’s initial file with reference number LA/01/1532 or the temporary file with reference number LA/01/1532/T that contain his records of national service and certificate from the court.
“Ekwo, therefore, unmasked the shameful conspiracy when he held that ‘non-production of files with Ref. No. LA/01/1532 or file with Ref. No. LA/01/1532/T means the contents thereof would have gone against the defendants (NYSC) in this case and I so hold.”
PDP further said it should worry Nigerians that it was only in 2022 when the politics of 2023 was already underway that the NYSC found it most convenient and auspicious to burn purported unclaimed and unused discharge certificates from 1999 to 2004, if, indeed, it did so.
“Now that the court has finally established the truth, which is that Mbah diligently served his fatherland and was honourably discharged; that the NYSC was merely playing dirty politics and tried to fool Nigerians and the court. We demand an immediate, open and unreserved apology from the NYSC to both Governor Mbah and the PDP as an institution, and, indeed, the entire good of Enugu State,” the party said.