The Labour Party (LP), has described Monday’s ruling of the Abuja High Court on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate forgery case involving the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, as bizarre and unconventional.
The LP claimed the objective of the ruling, which it described as “offbeat and curious,” was essentially to ambush and weaken the case of well-laid points by its gubernatorial candidate, Chijoke Edeoga.
The Party’s reaction is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Obiora Ifoh, its National Publicity Secretary.
DAILY POST reported that an Abuja High Court, on Monday, dismissed the allegations of forgery of a discharge certificate brought against Mbah by NYSC.
According to Ifoh, the ruling of Justice Inyang Ekwo was yet another of some strange rulings of the court aimed at ridiculing the nation’s judiciary and undermining our democracy.
The Party said the Judiciary should save itself from anything that will undermine the will of the people of Enugu State as freely expressed in the last gubernatorial election.
According to the Party, “The Abuja Court pretended not to know many facts about the case, including that it’s a matter that came up before the Court of Appeal in Lagos the same day he delivered the unusual judgment”.
It alleged that the Abuja court was trying to use itself as a vehicle to destroy a credible federal institution like NYSC, warning that it would have far-reaching consequences.
Part of the statement read: “The Abuja Court pretended not to know many facts about the case including that it’s a matter that came up before the Court of Appeal in Lagos the same day he delivered the unusual judgment.
“By the ruling, his Lordship in Abuja feigned ignorance of multiple pieces of evidence already produced in Courts to show that Mbah was a Chief of Staff to the Governor of Enugu state at a time he claimed he was performing National Service in a firm in Lagos. The Judge also refused to recognize the fact that the forged Certificate Mbah is parading does not bear any resemblance in coding and font to those who passed out the year he claimed.
“The same justice Ekwo at the time when the Enugu Governorship election tribunal was constituted granted Mr Peter Mbah of the PDP an exparte injunction that he sought which effectively barred NYSC from going to the tribunal to testify. The exparte order was illegally sustained beyond the permissible life of the exparte to the point where NYSC could not properly respond to the invitation of PRP to give testimony.
“This state of affairs persisted into the life of the tribunal until LP in mid-July approached the Court of Appeal which graciously ordered NYSC to obey the subpoena of the Enugu Governorship Election Tribunal
“The Labour Party said that by that ruling on Monday, the Abuja court is trying to use itself as a vehicle to destroy a credible federal institution like NYSC and warned that it would have far-reaching consequences.
“The Justice Ekwo ruling also failed to take into cognizance several legal authorities of superior Courts that issuing authority remains the final on authenticating certificates.
“The Labour Party said that the objective of this offbeat and curious ruling is essentially to ambush and weaken the case of well-laid points by its gubernatorial flag bearer, Hon. Chijoke Edeoga whom the voting population of Enugu state voted for overwhelmingly.
“The Labour Party therefore asked the Judiciary to save itself from anything that will undermine the will of the people of Enugu state as freely expressed to a very great degree on March 8, 2023.”
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