Tomorrow, Friday 23rd June, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has received a summons to appear before the state governorship election petition tribunal. This order was issued by the tribunal’s chairman, Justice K. M. Akano, in response to a suit filed by the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). The PRP alleges that Mbah, who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), submitted a forged National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), making him ineligible for the March 18 governorship election and calling for his removal from office.
During the tribunal proceedings on Thursday, the PRP’s counsel, Barr Alex Amujiogo, explained that Mbah was meant to appear in court as a subpoenaed witness but it had been challenging to serve him the summons. Amujiogo then requested the tribunal to allow the summons to be served on Mbah through his counsel. The tribunal granted the request, ordering that the subpoena be served on Mbah through his counsel and mandating his appearance before the tribunal on June 23, 2023.
Despite objections from the lawyers representing the three respondents, INEC, Mbah, and the PDP, the tribunal overruled their opposition to the order. On the same day, Christopher Agu, the PRP candidate in the governorship election, testified as PW2 before the tribunal. Barr. Aliu Muhammed, an official from the National Secretariat of the NYSC, also appeared on behalf of the Director-General of the Corps, presenting an affidavit stating that a Federal High Court order from Abuja prohibited them from submitting the disclaimer the Corps made regarding Mbah’s certificate.
After the tribunal’s session, the PRP lawyer spoke to reporters, stating that their witness had testified and provided an overview of the election proceedings. They urged the tribunal to invalidate the purported results in favor of Peter Mbah, the Governor. Regarding the issue of the subpoena against Mbah, the lawyer explained that despite difficulties in serving him directly, the tribunal allowed the subpoena to be served on Mbah through his lawyer. Consequently, Mbah must comply with the tribunal’s summons and appear in person on Friday, 23rd June.
