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

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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”.

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Somtochukwu Maduagwu, Arise News Anchor Murder Suspects’ Hearing adjourn February 9-11

Aside from the killing of the Arise News Anchor, they are charged with armed robbery involving other residents at the estate where Somtochukwu was killed.

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Photo: Somtochukwu Maduagwu, Arise News Anchor and lawyer

The FCT High Court Abuja has slated three days hearing for suspects that killed Somtochukwu Maduagwu, Arise News Anchor and lawyer.

Ohibaba.com learned that the matter is adjourned to 9, 10 and 12 February, 2026 for definite hearing.

The suspects were arraigned on amended Charges filed on 10th January before the FCT High Court.

Aside from the killing of the Arise News Anchor, they are charged with armed robbery involving other residents at the estate where Somtochukwu was killed.

All of them pleaded not guilty.

Defendants to be remanded in Kuje Correctional Facility.

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Suicide bomber Kills Five Soldiers in Borno Waylaid

Security sources said that the attack occurred as troops were returning from a successful clearance operation that dislodged several insurgent camps and neutralised many fighters.

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Five soldiers were killed while several others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a military convoy at the Timbuktu Triangle axis of Borno State.

Security sources said that the attack occurred Tuesday as troops were returning from a successful clearance operation that dislodged several insurgent camps and neutralised many fighters.

Two senior officers, a Major and a Lieutenant, were among those affected.

The military has yet to issue an official statement, as clearance operations are still ongoing in the area.

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Ogun Govt Suspends Selection of New Awujale to prevent mayhems

Hon. Hamzat added that the decision was taken proactively to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to ensure that the eventual emergence of a new Awujale follows due process acceptable to all stakeholders.

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The Ogun State Government has again suspended the ongoing process for the selection of a new Awujale of Ijebuland.

In a statement issued on behalf of the State government, the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat, said the decision became necessary following several complaints and intelligence reports received from security agencies and other key stakeholders involved in the selection process.

The government described the Awujale stool as one of the foremost and most prestigious traditional institutions in Yorubaland and Ogun State, noting that the stature of the immediate past Awujale, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, who reigned for 65 years, further elevated the global prestige and reverence of the throne.

According to the commissioner, the prominence of the stool and the legacy of the late monarch have placed intense public attention and scrutiny on the emergence of the next Awujale, making it imperative for the state to act decisively to safeguard public order and uphold the dignity of the institution.

“The State Government has received several petitions, reports from security agencies and other key stakeholders in relation to the ongoing selection process.

In order to maintain public order, protect the integrity of the process and preserve the veneration of the stool, it has become imperative to halt the selection process at this time,” the statement read.

The government explained that its action was backed by the provisions of the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun State, 2021, which empowers the Executive Council to set aside an appointment if it is deemed necessary in the interest of peace, order and good governance.

Hon. Hamzat added that the decision was taken proactively to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to ensure that the eventual emergence of a new Awujale follows due process acceptable to all stakeholders.

Consequently, the state government directed that the decision be formally communicated to the Awujale Kingmakers Council and the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.

The ruling house was specifically advised to await further directives from the government regarding the continuation of the selection process.

The development has temporarily stalled the succession process to the highly respected Awujale throne, as the government reviews the situation to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible outcome.

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