Mbah: The Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has made a significant ruling regarding the petition filed by Chris Agu of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) against Governor Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The petition included allegations of a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate, non-qualification, and corruption against the governor.
The tribunal, presided over by Justice Kudirat Murayo Akano, has dismissed the petitioner’s claims on several grounds. First and foremost, the tribunal ruled that the petitioner failed to provide substantial evidence to support their assertion that a forged NYSC certificate was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This claim was not substantiated in their affidavit.
Furthermore, the tribunal emphasized that in order to prove the charge of forgery, the petitioner must present both the original certificate and the alleged forged one, which they failed to do.
The panel also addressed the issue of the governor’s election by a majority of votes. They found that the witnesses called by the petitioners were unable to specify the polling units where the alleged election irregularities occurred, nor could they provide evidence of the results in question.
Moreover, the tribunal held that the petitioner could not demonstrate that Governor Mbah did not possess the minimum educational qualification required to stand for election, which is a school certificate or its equivalent. The evidence presented did not support the claim that the governor was unqualified to participate in the election.
Regarding the issue of plea bargain, the tribunal noted that the exhibits presented by the petitioners did not provide conclusive evidence of any plea bargain by the respondent, Governor Peter Mbah. On the contrary, the court accepted the evidence presented by Governor Mbah, which indicated that he had been acquitted of the charges.
It’s important to note that the tribunal’s proceedings are ongoing.
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