The Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has given Peter Mbah, the PDP candidate for the March 18, 2023, governorship election, until June 22, 2023, to respond to interlocutory applications submitted by Chijioke Edeoga, the LP candidate.
Recall that Edeoga had petitioned the tribunal to contest the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision that Mbah had won the governorship race.
In his petition to the court, Edeoga requested, among other things, that Mbah be disqualified for allegedly forging certificates, which he believes violates Section 182(j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
When a letter from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) disputed a discharge certificate Mbah sent to INEC as part of his prequalification for the election, Mbah’s issue gained attention in February 2023.
But for a number of reasons, including the problem of certificate fraud, the Labour Party and its candidate Edeoga are opposing the declaration of Mbah as the victor of the election.
The Labour Party and its candidate have stated that the situation involves a violation of the Nigerian constitution, in contrast to the PDP and Mbah’s lawyers, who have argued that the NYSC discharge certificate was not a requirement for the election.
In order to force Mbah to explain where he received his secondary education, as well as the day and year he finished the six-year post-primary education, the Labour Party submitted interlocutory questions before the Tribunal.
The plaintiffs further request that Mbah produce the year he enrolled in the university, the year he graduated, the year he attended the Nigerian Law School, and the year he was admitted to the Nigerian Bar before the tribunal.
Mbah was also required to furnish information on the year and date he was mobilised for his NYSC programme as well as the date he was discharged, according to the interlocutory application.
They are also requesting information from Mbah regarding the year, day, and time of his appointments as chief of staff to former governor Chimaroke Nnamani and commissioner for finance, respectively.
