The ongoing battle over alleged certificate forgery involving the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, Dr Peter Mba, has taken an interesting turn, document and photographs has revealed.
According to the original copy of the certificate sighted at NYSC headquarters in Abuja, Mbah was duly mobilised for the one-year mandatory national youth service in Lagos in 2002, which he completed.
NYSC confirmed that Mba actually served and was discharged accordingly and issued a discharge certificate.
Also photographs of his participation on daily drilling, physical training and other activities at the NYSC orientation camp have emerged.
Earlier, a group had claimed that it conducted a check at the NYSC under the Freedom of Information Act 2011 and alleged that Mbah forged his NYSC certificate and presented same to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
But in a swift response, the Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Campaign Council declared the allegations as false and unfounded.
According to the party’s statement, “we are bold to say that Mbah was duly mobilised for the one-year mandatory national youth service in Lagos in 2002, duly completed the exercise and was issued with an NYSC discharge certificate.”
The statement said the letter those behind the allegation claimed to have emanated from the NYSC “bears all the imprimaturs of forgery; the language too inelegant and unofficial to have emanated from the NYSC”.
“We have equally observed that the said malicious press statement was not signed by any official of the faceless group. We call on media organisations and interested Nigerians to approach the NYSC to confirm the veracity of the purported letter,” the statement said.“
However, we are taking steps in accordance with the provisions of the law to bring the perpetrators to book.”
According to the statement, the campaign council said that the opposition had tried their hands in other malicious and criminal falsehoods, including forgery of court processes to malign and bring down Mbah.
“Rather than present and market their manifestos to the Enugu electorate, they had earlier forged court processes and also filed frivolous and malicious lawsuits claiming that Mbah had entered into a plea of guilt and plea bargain, hence not qualified to stand for election,” it said.
“We call on the Nigerian public to disregard this latest perfidy as the umpteenth mischief by an indolent opposition and last kick of a dying horse”, the statement read.
Time Africa