One thing Bar. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah has proven about himself since he joined the Enugu governorship race is that he is not flippant or a man that could be easily distracted or derailed from his set objectives.
Yes, Mbah has shown that he has the courage of his convictions, knows what he wants and how to go about it. He did it in Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd and succeeded. Nothing says he cannot replicate it in the governance of the state, having succeeded in winning the election and the hearts of majority of Ndi Enugu State.
That is why he has remained unperturbed with the myriads of social media fabrications, fictious allegations and frivolous court cases against him by his closest rival in the race and governorship candidate of Labour Party, Bar. Chijioke Edeoga and his supporters, hired social media traducers and bandits.
Mbah knew from inception that Edeoga was out to do a spoiler job and ignored him outrightly. As a lawyer, astute administrator and entrepreneur of repute, Mbah knows that it is only the court and laws that will decide his fate in tandem with democratic practice and not social media gossips, allegations and propaganda as being peddled by Bar. Edeoga and his minions.
When Bar. Edeoga and his social media terrorists tagged Mbah on social media platforms an ex-convict without any verifiable evidence or court judgment, their plans were to impugn his character, intimidate and possibly blackmail him out of the race. They even desperately forged documents that resembled court documents and peddled them on social media platforms to delude some people. Many didn't know that the only reason they toed this ugly path of destruction is just because Mbah served in Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani's administration, not that Mbah has ever been convicted of any fraud by any court.
But characters like the perpetual election contestant and Port Harcourt based charge- and-bail lawyer, Bar. George Ogara and Ejike Obumneme are handy to be used as pawns by Bar. Edeoga in shadow chasing antics that Mbah is an ex-convict and not qualified for the governorship election in the first place.
They even deceived and compromised a staff of Federal Ministry Of Justice, who misled his boss, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of The Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) as well. This is the level these desperados called Bar. Edeoga and his bandits can go.
Having realised his avoidable and embarrassing gaffe capable of tarnishing his image and the integrity of his Ministry, the Minister of Justice, Malami, in an open letter to Mbah's counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) courageously and regrettably admitted that he filed inaccurate processes in court against Mbah and absolved him of ex-convict’s allegation or tag.
In the letter, which was dated April 28, 2023, and titled “Re: Wilful Mischief by Officers of the Federal Ministry of Justice in FHC/ABJ/CS/2257/2022: FELIX OGWU V. PETER MBAH & Others”, the Minister of Justice admitted that the processes filed by his office were wrong, and stated that Mbah was not convicted at any time.
Mbah contested in the last general elections as governorship candidate under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State and was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Six indigenes of the state led by Mr Felix Ugwu, who are plaintiffs before the court had in December 2022 sued Mbah, former governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the AGF, seeking an order to declare that Nnamani and Mbah had been tried and convicted in charge No. FHC/L/09/ 2007.
But the response of the AGF, who is the 4th respondent in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2257/2022, stated that Mbah and Nnamani were not convicted at any time.
Apart from Ugwu, other plaintiffs in the suit are Jonathan Ndubusi, Okechukwu Eze, Agbachi Ude, Chris Ugwu and Emeka Aroh. They had prayed the court to declare that by the provisions of Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the finding of plea of guilty entered on behalf of 1st and 2nd defendants (Mbah and Nnamani) by Justice Yunusa of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, is a conviction in law and binding on all the defendants.
They were also seeking a declaration that by the express provisions of Section 182(1(e) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Mbah was ineligible to contest any election to the office of Governor of a State within a period of less than ten years from 7th day of July 2015.
Ugwu stated in his affidavit in support of the originating summons that he derived his facts from Mr. George Ogara, a senior lawyer and deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Enugu 2023 election.
It was, however, discovered that an officer in the Federal Ministry of Justice filed a process that was false and a misrepresentation of facts. For instance, court documents obtained showed that Mbah never entered into any charge or plea bargain in the Charge No. FHC/L/09C/2007, as he was discharged over two years before the plea bargain was entered.
Since the letter was made public, I have waited for Bar. Edeoga's reaction or response even through his social media e-rats. Nothing has been heard from them. This is unlike them. This simply means admittance of guilt by them knowing what they did to compromise and confuse the staff of the Ministry of Justice, who misled his boss, the Minister with fake documents. This is the reason Bar. Edeoga didn't include the ex- convict claim in his petition against Bar. Mbah in the tribunal.
Mbah's vindication in this matter is another setback and colossal loss to Bar. Edeoga and his sponsors, who have been looking for any possible shortcut to Lion Building Government House Enugu from day one of his dead-on-arrival ambition that is anchored on vendetta, sectionalism, division and vindictiveness.
Obviously, this is the beginning of the good things that will happen to Bar. Mbah, as all the legal landmines laid for him by Edeoga and his stooges will be legally dismantled to the glory of God who gave Mbah power and to the shame of Bar. Edeoga, who desperately wants power by all means, but to no avail.
