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Southeast Bishops Urge New Enugu Governor to Resign

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2023

172 Views

The Southeastern zone of the Network of Evangelical Bishops of Nigeria (NEBN) has once again asked Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, to resign for bringing what it called the unparalleled disgrace that the new helmsman has brought to the Enugu people in the last few months and for bringing the exalted office of the state governor to public ridicule.

This is the third time in as many months the NEBN has intervened in Enugu public affairs, advising Mbah to throw in the towel for both legal and moral reasons.

The religious leaders had in previous statements accused Mbah of forging his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate A808297 which the new governor claims to have been issued on March 6, 2002, as well as the March 18 governorship election result in his Nkanu East Local Government Area where he was awarded over 31,000 votes, though the national INEC headquarters on March 22 reduced the number of votes to a little over 16,000.

“It was truly disgusting to watch last weekend how the team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) hired by Mbah to defend his purported mandate tried in vain to stop the NYSC from testifying on the genuineness of the NYSC discharge certificate which Mbah presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)”, stated the bishops in a statement signed by the zonal chairman, Bishop Samuel Ani, and the acting publicity secretary, Bishop Emmanuel Eneh.

“They even went to the extent of asking the tribunal sitting in Enugu to abide by an incurably defective ex parte motion gagging the NYSC from disclosing the true status of the discharge certificate, an ex parte motion which is now expired and has never had validity in Enugu State because it was granted by an FCT High Court rather than a Federal High Court”.

The bishops ruefully observed that this is the first time in Nigeria’s history a candidate for public office has fought tooth and nail to stop an appropriate agency from speaking on the authenticity of the credentials he or she has presented to the electoral commission.

Alhaji Abubakar I. Muhammadu, the NYSC Director of Certificate, had in a letter written on February 1, 2023, declared that NYSC Discharge Certificate A808297 did not emanate from it, a position supported by the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Yushau Ahmed when he appeared on the Arise Television programme on Friday, May 17, 2023.

“Now, Enugu State has been in the news again in connection with its purported governor presenting forged documents, as the NYSC Assistant Director of Corps Certification, Mrs Rhoda Dawa, has just provided the Federal High Court in Abuja with comprehensive details of how NYSC Discharge Certificate Number A808297 did not come from the organisation”.

If Mbah had completed his national service, explained the NYSC, he would have done so on September 15, 2003, and not September 15, 2002, which the governor claims.

His discharge certificate would have been assigned the serial number 673517, and the calligraphy would have been the same as other certificates issued by the NYSC, according to Mrs Dawa.

“There are too many discrepancies in this fake certificate Mbah presented”, said the senior clergymen

If such a “ridiculous spectacle of forgery should happen in any part of Nigeria in the 21st century”, said the group of bishops, “it is certainly not a state as strategic as Enugu which is the headquarters of not just the Southeast but also the old Eastern Nigerian Region that has since been divided into nine states”.

The bishops noted that Mbah would leave office like other public officers found guilty of presenting forged credentials, citing the examples of Mrs Kemi Adeosun, who was ex-President Muhamadu Buhari’s first Minister of Finance; Alhaji Salisu Buhari, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives when democracy was restored in 1999; and Biobarakuma Degi-Eremioye of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who was prevented from being sworn in on February 14, 2020, as the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor by the Supreme Court for presenting a fake document to INEC.

Since Mbah, who has been in office since May 29, has achieved his life ambition of being addressed as “His Excellency, the Governor of Enugu State”, said the bishops, “he should resign now because it is better than having to wait to be booted out of office through a judicial process which will, ipso facto, deny him the status of ever being recognised as a former governor as far as the law is concerned”.

Related Topics:Enugu Governor South-East

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BREAKING: Prominent Islamic Scholar, Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, dies at 102

Published

4 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Charles Flames

22 Views

Prominent Islamic scholar in Bauchi, Sheikh Dahiru Usman-Bauchi, is dead. He died at the age of 102.

Until his death, he was one of the world leaders of the Tijjaniyya Islamic sect.

The renowned Islamic cleric died early hours of Thursday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi.

Announcing the death, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, extended his heartfelt condolences to the immediate family of the late Sheikh, his followers, students, and the entire Muslim Ummah across Nigeria and beyond.

In a statement made available to journalists by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, the Governor described him as a towering figure in Islamic scholarship as well as a man of deep faith, humility, and wisdom.

He said: “Innalillahi wa inna Ilaihi Rajiun. It is with deep sorrow and a profound sense of loss that the Bauchi State Government announces the death of renowned and revered Islamic scholar, teacher, and spiritual leader, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, who returned to his Creator in the early hours of today, Thursday, 27th November, 2025, at the age of 102 in Bauchi.”

Governor Mohammed said his lifetime was devoted to the propagation of Islam, the teaching of the Holy Qur’an, and the moral and spiritual upliftment of humanity.

“Through his numerous schools and learning centres, he nurtured thousands of students who went on to memorise the Qur’an and spread Islamic knowledge across the African continent,” he stated.

He said that the late Sheikh’s immense contributions to theology, Islamic jurisprudence, and history have left an indelible mark on the intellectual and spiritual landscape of our society.

The Governor added that: “As we mourn this monumental loss, we take solace in the fact that Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi lived a life fully dedicated to the service of Allah, humanity, and knowledge. His legacy will continue to illuminate the path of generations to come.

“The Government of Bauchi State will continue to honor his memory by supporting the institutions and ideals he stood for , particularly in the areas of Islamic education, moral discipline, and community development.

“We pray that Almighty Allah, will forgive his shortcomings, grants him Aljannatul Firdaus, and give his family, followers, and the entire Ummah the fortitude to bear this great loss,” he stated

BREAKING: Prominent Islamic Scholar, Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, dies at 102

News

Sylva Seeks Audience With EFCC

He said that he was deeply surprised and profoundly unsettled to learn through a public announcement that he had been declared wanted despite his well-known disposition towards cooperation with lawful authorities.

Published

8 hours ago

November 27, 2025

OCHEFA

21 Views

Chief Timipre Sylva, former Minister of State for Petroleum, has written to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) asking the commission to give him a date for his appearance.

The former Governor of Bayelsa State in a letter he personally signed and addressed to the Chairman of the commission particularly frowned at the move by the EFCC to declare him wanted over an alleged $14.8million fraud.

Sylva in the letter dated November 24th but was received and acknowledged by the EFCC on November 26th and made available to newsmen on Wednesday, however, informed the commission that he was currently receiving an urgent medical care for a life-threatening condition.

The letter reads:”In view of the foregoing, I most humbly request that a mutually agreed date be set subject to medical clearance to enable me appear physically and formally.

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Tinubu nominates ambassadors for U.S, UK, France

The nominees are Kayode Are of Ogun state, Aminu Dalhatu of Jigawa state, and Ayodele Oke of Oyo state.

Published

8 hours ago

November 27, 2025

OCHEFA

26 Views

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday nominated three non-career ambassadors to the United States of America, UK, and France, and urges the Senate to confirm the appointments .

The nominees are Kayode Are of Ogun state, Aminu Dalhatu of Jigawa state, and Ayodele Oke of Oyo state.

Tinubu made the request in a letter addressed to the Senate and read on Wednesday, November 26 by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said: that the postings will be finalised following Senate screenings.

“Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea during President Buhari’s administration, having been first appointed in 2016.“

Ambassador Ayodele Oke, an alumnus of Emory University in Atlanta, is a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations in London.

“Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are was Director General of the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007, served as National Security Adviser in 2010, and was an officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence.

He graduated with First Class Honours in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980.”