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…Tribunal adjourns sitting until August 16 to adopt final written addresses

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) subpoenaed witness, Barr. Victor Udeh on Thursday tendered Governor Peter Mbah’s letters of redeployment, deferment and reinstatement to continue his NYSC programme after completing his part two in law school.

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Mr Udeh tendered the documents before the governorship election petition tribunal hearing the petition filed by Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party (LP) against the election of Mr Mbah of the PDP in Enugu.

Mr Udeh also tendered Mr Mbah’s final clearance letter after completing his NYSC programme.

Mr Edeoga is praying the tribunal disqualifies Mr Mbah over the alleged forgery of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and manipulation of election results.

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The LP lead counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the document, saying he would give his reasons in their final address.

The tribunal, however, admitted the document as evidence.

The witness tendered 21 documents which included: Mbah’s call-up letter, letter of deployment to the Nigerian Ports Authority, letter of redeployment to the law firm of Udeh & Associates, monthly clearance papers, last clearance paper, among other documents. The documents were all admitted in evidence before the tribunal.

During cross-examination, the witness said a letter from the NYSC reinstated Mr Mbah after his deferment.

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The witness said he wrote the letters to the NYSC and got a reply.

Mr Udeh said he was unaware of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) reply on the investigation of the NYSC on March 2023.

The lead counsel of the LP said there was no evidence of delivery and acknowledgement of the letters from NYSC that the witness presented.

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“As a Lawyer, you know the importance of delivery and acknowledgement of official letters to government departments,” he said.

Mr Awomolo said that by the witness letter, Mr Mbah was to conclude his NYSC on September 16, 2003, as he was in the office of the governor of Enugu State as the Chief of Staff in July 2003.

The witness responded that the information was not true, saying that Mbah accepted the offer to be a chief of staff to the then governor immediately he finished his National Youth Service programme in September, 2003.

Awomolo said that in 2007, the EFCC charged the subpoenaed witness with Mr Mbah, for money laundering at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Tendering the charge with a case file number FH/C/09/07, the respondents’ counsels, Bode Ola, SAN, counsel to Mr Mbah, the PDP counsel, Anthony Ani, SAN, and Humphrey Okoli of the INEC, objected to the admissibility of the document and said they would articulate their reasons in their final addresses.

The tribunal admitted the document as evidence.

The chairman of the three-member tribunal, Justice M.K Akano, adjourned the sitting until August 16 to adopt final written addresses after the PDP counsel closed its defence.

Recall that Mbah’s NYSC discharge certificate has been a subject of controversy since the NYSC denied issuing him any NYSC certificate. But on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, the Department of State Services, DSS, which carried a sting investigation on the matter, told the tribunal that Mbah didn’t forge any discharge certificate, blaming the NYSC for poor record-keeping and misrepresentation of facts.

NAN