The general public is adviced to disregard the fake news circulating on the social media by one Eloka Nnamani through EnuguMonitor.com claiming that Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi conversed with the governor elect, Barr. Peter Mbah, acknowledging the existence of NYSC discharge certificate forgery allegation. The news is a blatant lie from the pit of hell and one of the most laughable propaganda in the 21st Century coming from delusional and depressed oppositions.
It's obvious that opposition's Mandate-Reclaime-Mission banking on the issue of Dr. Mbah’s NYSC discharge certificate, which is false, still serves their gullible members as the last strand of allegation to keep hope alive. Meanwhile, looking at hypothetically with assumptions that it was forged, the tribunal will still rely on the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act in adjudicating on the matter. Regarding submission of forged certificates to INEC, Section 29 (5) provides: "Any aspirant, who participated in the primaries of his political party, who has reasonable grounds to believe that any information given by his political party's candidate in the affidavit or any document submitted by that candidate in relation to his constitutional requirements to contest the election is false, may file a suit at the Federal High Court against that candidate seeking a declaration that the information contained in the affidavit is false".
This is to say that while they're busy with propaganda, they forgot that the tribunal will deal with facts. The skipped that while they torch-light the PDP, they too will be torch-lightinged by others. At the tribunal, the PDP will also want them to explain how Chijioke got 12,592 votes in just four Wards in Nsukka LGA (Obukpa, Ihe Nkpunano, and Owerre/Umuoyo Wards); how he got exactly 3,410 votes in each of Ihe and Nkpunano Wards; how he got more than 12,000 votes in UNN alone while students were on election break and the University under lock and key.
The truth is that NYSC discharge certificate is not and will never be constitutional requirement to qualify for the office of the governor and to hold public office. ,Section 177 expressly provides: “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if; he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth, has attained the age of thirty-five years, is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party and has been educated up to at least, School Certificate level or its equivalent.”
In the words of Desmond Odoh, if NYSC discharge certificate is not a constitutional requirement, how do we expect the courts/tribunal to disqualify Peter based on that?
What will be Peter Mbah’s motive in forging and submitting an NYSC certificate when it is not compulsory constitutional requirement to vie for the office of the governor in a state?
We are not distracted by this!
Nnamdi Chidi Writes from Trans-Ekulu Enugu
