The Labour Party (LP) has expressed its bewilderment over the recent ruling of the Abuja High Court regarding the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate forgery case involving Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah. The LP has characterized this ruling as unusual and unorthodox.
The LP contends that the ruling, which it considers “unconventional and perplexing,” appears to be a deliberate attempt to hinder and weaken the strong arguments presented by their gubernatorial candidate, Chijoke Edeoga.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Obiora Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary of the LP, the party criticized the ruling as yet another example of peculiar court decisions that seem to undermine the integrity of the nation’s judiciary and the democratic process.
The LP has called upon the judiciary to uphold the will of the people of Enugu State, as freely expressed in the previous gubernatorial election, and to protect it from anything that may undermine its legitimacy.
According to the Party, “The Abuja Court pretended not to know many facts about the case, including that it’s a matter that came up before the Court of Appeal in Lagos the same day he delivered the unusual judgment”.
It alleged that the Abuja court was trying to use itself as a vehicle to destroy a credible federal institution like NYSC, warning that it would have far-reaching consequences.
Part of the statement read: “The Abuja Court pretended not to know many facts about the case including that it’s a matter that came up before the Court of Appeal in Lagos the same day he delivered the unusual judgment.
“By the ruling, his Lordship in Abuja feigned ignorance of multiple pieces of evidence already produced in Courts to show that Mbah was a Chief of Staff to the Governor of Enugu state at a time he claimed he was performing National Service in a firm in Lagos. The Judge also refused to recognize the fact that the forged Certificate Mbah is parading does not bear any resemblance in coding and font to those who passed out the year he claimed.
“The same justice Ekwo at the time when the Enugu Governorship election tribunal was constituted granted Mr Peter Mbah of the PDP an exparte injunction that he sought which effectively barred NYSC from going to the tribunal to testify. The exparte order was illegally sustained beyond the permissible life of the exparte to the point where NYSC could not properly respond to the invitation of PRP to give testimony.
“This state of affairs persisted into the life of the tribunal until LP in mid-July approached the Court of Appeal which graciously ordered NYSC to obey the subpoena of the Enugu Governorship Election Tribunal
“The Labour Party said that by that ruling on Monday, the Abuja court is trying to use itself as a vehicle to destroy a credible federal institution like NYSC and warned that it would have far-reaching consequences.
“The Justice Ekwo ruling also failed to take into cognizance several legal authorities of superior Courts that issuing authority remains the final on authenticating certificates.
“The Labour Party said that the objective of this offbeat and curious ruling is essentially to ambush and weaken the case of well-laid points by its gubernatorial flag bearer, Hon. Chijoke Edeoga whom the voting population of Enugu state voted for overwhelmingly.
“The Labour Party therefore asked the Judiciary to save itself from anything that will undermine the will of the people of Enugu state as freely expressed to a very great degree on March 8, 2023.”
