Enugu State Governor, Barr Peter Mbah, has concluded his defense of the case brought by Labour Party candidate, Barr Chijioke Edeoga.
Edeoga is attempting to overturn Mbah’s victory in the state’s governorship election on March 18.
His grounds include alleged NYSC certificate falsification and election result manipulation.
Mbah concluded his defense to the petition through his counsel, Mr. Bode Ola, after presenting his current chief of staff, Mr. Victor Ude, to testify before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Enugu.
Enugu Tribunal: LP Candidate, Edeoga Closes Cases Against Gov Mbah, INEC
Ude’s attendance on Thursday brought Mbah’s total number of witnesses to three, after he introduced Festus Uzor and a DSS official on Wednesday.
Ude presented Mbah’s NYSC letters of redeployment, deferment, and reinstatement letter to continue his NYSC programme after completing his part two in Law School.
He also presented an authorisation letter for Mbah to continue his service, as well as his final clearance document after finishing his NYSC program.
The lead counsel for the LP challenged to the documents’ inclusion, stating that he would provide grounds in their final address.
The witness testified during cross examination that there was a letter from the NYSC stating that Mbah should be restored.
The witness, a lawyer, stated that he wrote the letters to the NYSC and received a response.
Ude, on the other hand, stated that he was unaware of the Inspector General of Police’s response to the inquiry of the NYSC certificate in March 2023.
However, the LP’s senior counsel, Mr Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), insisted that no evidence of delivery and acknowledgment of the letters from NYSC.
“As a lawyer, you know the importance of delivery and acknowledgment of official letters to government departments,” he said.
Awomolo stated that according to the witness’ letter, Mbah was to complete his NYSC on September 16, 2003, while still acting as the Governor of Enugu State’s Chief of Staff in August 2003.
He claimed that in 2007, the EFCC charged the subpoenaed witness with Mbah at the Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged money laundering.
The respondents’ counsels, Mr Bode Ola, counsel to Gov. Peter Mbah, Mr Anthony An, counsel to the PDP, and Humphrey Okoli, counsel to the INEC, objected to the admissibility of the document and said they would articulate their reasons in their final addresses as Edeoga’s counsel tendered the charge sheet, with case file number FH/C/09/07.
The document was accepted as evidence by the tribunal.
After the PDP lawyers concluded their case, the tribunal’s chairperson, Justice M.K Akano, adjourned the hearing until August 16 for the adoption of final written addresses.
Enugu Guber: Evidence Shows LP Won, INEC, PDP Rigged The Election – Edeoga
It should be noted that, while the INEC did not bring any witnesses before the tribunal, Edeoga did.
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