Certificate Forgery: Governor Mbah Begs Court To Throw NYSC DG Into Prison

Forum 10 months ago

Certificate Forgery: Governor Mbah Begs Court To Throw NYSC DG Into Prison

requisite to practice as barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, applied and was admitted into the Bar part 1 programme of the Nigerian Law School.

Mbah said upon completing the bar part I exam, he had to wait for the bar part 2 programme, and was advised that instead of spending time idling around, he should proceed to the mandatory one year NYSC programme.

He said he was called up for NYSC and was deployed initially to Nigerian Ports Authority Apapa for his primary assignment but was rejected by NPA, before securing the law firm of Ude & Associates.

“The plaintiff in the course of his service year and after six months of NYSC, applied and was granted approval to defer the NYSC in order to enable him complete the bar final exam.

“Thereafter, the plaintiff was remobilised to finish the NYSC programme, which he did complete.”

Mbah further averred that upon completion of the NYSC, he was issued the certificate of National Service No. A.808297 dated Jan.6 2003.

But in a preliminary objection dated and filed on May 22 by the 1st and 2nd defendants, they prayed for an order dismissing or striking out the suit for want of jurisdiction and competence.

Giving three grounds of argument, the defendants said that Mbah did not appeal to the president as required by the provisions of Section 20 of the NYSC Act, Cap. N84, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 before instituting the suit against them.

They argued that appeal to the president was a condition-precedent to instituting an action against them in any court of law in Nigeria.

“Consequent upon the refusal of the plaintiff/respondent to comply with the provisions of Section 20 of the National Youth Service Corps Act, this suit is premature for the jurisdiction of the court to crystalise,” they said.

The NYSC had, on Feb. 1, written a letter signed by Mr Ibrahim Muhammed saying that the NYSC certificate belonging to Mbah was not issued by the corps.

Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner of the Enugu state governorship election held in March 18 by the Independent National Electoral Commission