News

SouthEast Bishops Declare Enugu Governor-Elect Unfit, Ask Police to Arrest Him for Forgery

Published

2 years ago

May 20, 2023

109 Views

Three days after the Southeast Zone of the Network of Evangelical Bishops of Nigeria (NEBN) accused the Enugu state branch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being composed of “a tiny band of buccaneers” planning to “kidnap the finances of the state”, it has described the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the March 18 election, Peter Mbah, as unfit for public office.

“Mbah is fast gaining the reputation of a forger and blackmailer”, declared the bishops in a statement in Enugu today in reference to the National Youth Service Corps Discharge Certificate A808297 purportedly signed on January 6, 2003.

The NYSC director general, Brigadier General Yushau Dogara Ahmed, was on Arise Television on Friday morning to mark the organisation’s 50th anniversary and used the opportunity to refute the claim that the discharge certificate Mbah submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (NYSC) emanated from it.

The police should arrest Mbah immediately and prosecute him for forgery, according to the NEBN.

“He is not a fit and proper person to hold public office, let alone the exalted office of the Enugu State governor”, they stated.

“The NYSC DG has corroborated the statement by the NYSC Director of Certification, Alhaji Ibrahim A. Muhammadu, on February 1, 2023, that the certificate is false and forged”, said the bishops in the statement signed by their president, Bishop Samuel Ani, and the acting secretary, Bishop Emmanuel Eneh.

Mbah had on May 15 obtained an ex parte order from Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the NYSC from testifying on the authenticity of the discharge certificate and has even announced a N20bn libel suit against the NYSC for its position that the certificate is not genuine.

“Only a pathological liar, forger, and blackmailer would have the audacity to announce to sue the NYSC for N20b for telling the truth which everyone knows”, the religious leaders observed.

“Only a person with integrity can sue for libel where he or she will prove that his reputation has been tarnished by a publication.

“A forger has no reputation to protect and, therefore, does not have the grounds to sue for libel or slander”.

The bishops continued: “The PDP candidate is merely striking postures meant to cow the public institutions and our society at large, so that he can find himself into Government House on May 29 and begin to use the state resources and apparatus brazenly to barricade himself against the long arms of the law”.

On January 13, 2020, as David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was preparing to be sworn in the next day as the Bayelsa State governor, the Supreme Court passed a judgment shattering his ambition because it was discovered that his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremioye, had presented false documents to the INEC.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s first Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, was forced to resign on September 14, 2018, after it was reported that she presented a forged NYSC Discharge Certificate in her curriculum vitae (CV).

“Mbah can run, but can’t hide”, said the bishops who reiterated their position that “he is not the Enugu State governor-elect because he did not win.

“Hiring an almost countless number of the most paid Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) from different parts of the country with resources of the Enugu State people to intimidate the judiciary in the name of representing him at the Election Petitions tribunal can’t help him.

“The Enugu people voted overwhelmingly for the Labour Party, the party that defeated Mbah’s foremost backer, Governor Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi, in his polling booth, polling unit, and local government area when the outgoing governor sought to be voted into the Senate on February 25 on the PDP platform”.

The bishops also took a swipe at Justice Inyang Ekwo for granting Mbah the ex parte motion stopping the NYSC from testifying against the PDP candidate’s credentials and asked the National Judicial Council (NJC) to punish the judge.

“An ex parte order can be granted only in an emergency, but Nigerians are unable to see the emergency which prompted the order in this case”, they stated.

“For failing to heed the counsel by different Chief Justices in Nigeria over the years against granting frivolous injunctions, the National Judicial Council needs to remove people like Justice Inyang immediately from the Bench in the overriding national interest”.

News

Obidient Movement congratulates Amupitan on appointment as INEC chairman

In a statement jointly signed by Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator, and Nana Kazaure, Director of Strategic Communications and Media, the movement commended President Bola Tinubu for the appointment and extended its warm felicitations to the new INEC chairman.

Published

22 hours ago

October 9, 2025

OCHEFA

16 Views

Supporters of Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, have congratulated Professor Joash Amupitan on his appointment as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The group, under the aegis of the Obidient Movement, expressed optimism that Amupitan’s leadership would usher in a new era of credibility and transparency in Nigeria’s electoral process.

“As we reflect on the experiences of past INEC chairmen, we are hopeful that your tenure will mark a significant milestone in the electoral history of Nigeria,” the statement read.

“We look forward to reforms that will enhance the credibility, freedom, and fairness of our elections, particularly as we approach the 2027 General Elections.

(The Nation)

News

Jubilations in Kogi Over Tinubu’s Appointment of Amupitan as INEC Chairman

On behalf of the Government and the good people of Kogi State, we assure Mr. President and the entire nation that Prof. Amupitan will uphold the confidence reposed in him and continue to bring honour to the state and to Nigeria through his dedication to credible and transparent elections.

Published

23 hours ago

October 9, 2025

OCHEFA

31 Views

•Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan

The Government and people of Kogi State express profound appreciation to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the appointment of Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan, a distinguished son of Kogi State, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a statement on behalf of the state government, Kingsley Femi Fanwo Commissioner for Information and Communications, said :
” This appointment is a strong validation of President Tinubu’s commitment to excellence, merit, and national inclusiveness in the leadership of our democratic institutions.”
The statement reads:” Prof. Amupitan’s illustrious career as a renowned legal scholar, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and respected administrator stands as a testament to his capacity for impartiality, integrity, and intellectual depth, qualities that are vital to the advancement of our electoral system.
On behalf of the Government and the good people of Kogi State, we assure Mr. President and the entire nation that Prof. Amupitan will uphold the confidence reposed in him and continue to bring honour to the state and to Nigeria through his dedication to credible and transparent elections.
We heartily congratulate Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, on this well-deserved national assignment and pray for divine wisdom, strength, and success as he assumes this critical responsibility.”

News

Former diplomat Christopher Kolade dies at 92

Born on December 28, 1932, in Erin-Oke, Osun State, Dr Kolade led a life marked by integrity, leadership, and service across multiple spheres — from broadcasting and diplomacy to corporate governance and academia.

Published

1 day ago

October 9, 2025

OCHEFA

36 Views

•Dr Christopher Kolade

Dr Christopher Kolade, a renowned former diplomat and one of Nigeria’s most respected elder statesmen, is dead, aged 92.

“We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service; and are grateful for God’s abundant blessings,” his family announced his death in a statement on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.

A son of an Anglican missionary, Kolade attended Government College, Ibadan, before proceeding to Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

His academic excellence earned him honorary doctorate degrees from institutions such as the University of Sierra Leone (1976) and McPherson University (2016).

Dr Kolade began his professional journey in broadcasting, where he rose to become Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).

His career later expanded into the corporate world, where he served as Chief Executive and Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc.

His leadership and reputation for ethical conduct earned him an appointment as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, a role he performed with distinction.

After his diplomatic service, Dr Kolade continued shaping minds and institutions as a lecturer in Corporate Governance and Human Resource Management at the Lagos Business School (LBS), and in Leadership and Conflict Management at the School of Media and Communication (SMC), both under Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos.

He also served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the university.

Beyond academia, Dr Kolade held key leadership roles in several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Institute of Management, the Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, the International Institute for Communications, and the World Association for Christian Communication.

Recognised for his outstanding service to humanity, he received numerous honours, including the Order of St. Augustine medal from the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 2012, he was appointed by then-President Goodluck Jonathan as Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) Board.