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Southeast Bishops Urge New Enugu Governor to Resign

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2023

160 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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VP Shettima Representing Nigeria At G20 Leaders’ Summit

President Tinubu would have been there in person for participation but shelved the plan owing to the recent abduction incidents in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger State.

Published

7 hours ago

November 21, 2025

OhiBaba

18 Views

Vice President Kashim Shettima departed Abuja today to represent President Bola Tinubu at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Summit, scheduled to take place from Saturday, November 22nd, to Sunday, November 23rd, at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, brings together leaders from the world’s top 20 economies, including the European Union, the African Union, financial institutions, among others.

President Tinubu would have been there in person for participation but shelved the plan owing to the recent abduction incidents in Kebbi, Kwara and Niger State.

Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of TheVice President), disclosed that President Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African leader who also serves as the current President of the G20 group had invited his Nigerian counterpart to participate in this year’s edition.

The Vice President will return to Nigeria at the end of the engagements.

News

Governor Soludo consoles Awolowo’s family over Segun’s death

In July 2021, Mr. Awolowo was unanimously elected President of the National Trade Promotion Organisations for ECOWAS member states, proving that his untiring passion for advancing Nigeria’s position in global markets will be sorely missed.

Published

8 hours ago

November 21, 2025

OCHEFA

22 Views

The Governor of Anambra State Government, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has conveyed his sincere condolences to the Awolowo family, friends, and associates of Mr. Segun Awolowo Jnr, who died the previous day at the age of 62.

In his condolence message, Governor Soludo extolled Mr. Segun Awolowo as a renowned lawyer, national patriot and prominent figure within the investment and export sector of Nigeria and Africa, who stood for excellence and dedication in public service.

As a grandson of the sage and illustrious Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he embodied the principles of integrity, service, and leadership that his grandfather championed throughout his life.

He was not only a proud scion of the Awolowo dynasty but also a vital contributor to Nigeria’s economic landscape, working tirelessly to elevate the standards of trade and investment across the continent.

The Governor noted that throughout his distinguished career, Segun Awolowo Jnr, who served diligently as the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council from 2013 to 2021, championed initiatives aimed at fostering economic growth and sustainable development in Nigeria.

His commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation inspired countless individuals and businesses, reinforcing the role of the private sector in driving national progress.

Thus his passing is a significant loss, not only for his family but for our nation and Africa at large.

Therefore, Governor Soludo condoles with the Awolowo family, Ogun State government, friends and associates of Mr. Segun Awolowo Jnr on his painful death.

Crime

JUST IN: Terrorists kidnap students, teachers from Niger boarding school

Published

12 hours ago

November 21, 2025

Charles Flames

26 Views

Terrorists have attacked St Mary’s School, a Catholic-owned institution in Papiri community, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State, and abducted an unconfirmed number of students and staff.

The attack took place in the early hours of Friday.

Local officials said the school was compiling its records and could not yet determine the number of people taken.

A source in one of the Catholic churches in Niger State confirmed the incident, stating that the church would issue an official statement after completing its investigation.

The Head of Department for Disaster and Relief in Agwara Local Government, Ahmed Rofia, also confirmed the attack.

He said the gunmen invaded the school between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. and that authorities were still assessing the scale of the abductions.

Spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun said he was aware of the enquiry and would provide details when available. “I know what you are calling. I will get the details and get back to you,” he said.

When pressed to confirm the incident, he added, “I need to get the details before. I will get back to you. Just give me time.

”Papiri is about 70 kilometers from Babana axis, where Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel, announced its presence in July.

The abduction happened less than a week after a similar abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State.Papiri town is one of the 10 political wards in the Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.

A source in Rofia, a town 30 kilometres away from where the incident happened, also confirmed the incident.

The source whose name has been withheld for security reasons said residents of the town estimated that the terrorists came with 60 motorcycles and a van.

“They packed the students and their teachers in the van and went away with them,” he said.

Bello Gidi, the spokesperson for Agwara Local Government Chairperson Ilyasu Zakari, confirmed the attack, stating that efforts are ongoing to gather “factual details of the incident.

”The raid occurred days after 25 students were kidnapped in Maga, Kebbi State, adding to rising concern over attacks on schools in the region.