Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State yesterday concluded his response to the case filed by the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, to nullify his election.
Edoga has petitioned the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Enugu to dismiss Mbah for alleged forging of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates and election result manipulation.
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Governor Mbah’s defence was ended by his counsel, Bode Ola, when he called his current Chief of Staff, Victor Ude, to testify before the panel.
Ude’s attendance yesterday increased Mbah’s witness count to three, after he presented Festus Uzor and a Department of State Services (DSS) official on Wednesday.
Ude presented Mbah’s NYSC letters of redeployment, deferment, and reinstatement to conclude his service year after completing his law school curriculum in his testimony.
He also presented the governor’s approval letter to continue his youth service, as well as the final clearance document after completing the programme.
Adegboyega Awomolo, the LP’s chief attorney, objected to the documents’ inclusion, stating he would provide grounds in their final address.
During cross examination, the witness indicated that he had received a letter from NYSC stating that Mbah should be restored.
Ude, on the other hand, stated that he was unaware of the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP) response to the NYSC probe in March 2023.
Awomolo stated that there was no indication of the letters being delivered or acknowledged from NYSC.
“As a lawyer, you understand the importance of delivering and acknowledging official letters to government departments,” he stated.
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Awomolo stated that according to the witness’ letter, Mbah was to complete his NYSC on September 16, 2003, while also acting as Chief of Staff.
He said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused the witness with money laundering in 2007 before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
