Ruling On LP’s Guber Candidate Not Reflection Of Electorates

By Georgina Humphrey

The Labour Party has reiterated that the ruling of various Election tribunals and the Court of Appeal against its gubernatorial candidate, Chijioke Edeoga and some members of the party-state legislators in Enugu state do not reflect the position electorates in the state.

National Secretary
Labour Party, Malam Umar Farouk stated this at a news conference in Abuja.

Malam Farouk who stressed that the will of the People of Enugu State should prevail appealed to the Apex Court to look judiciously at all the evidence in the Enugu case and do Justice to it.

According to Farouk, the election tribunal in Enugu and Court of Appeal in Lagos rejecting its weighty evidence that it won the March 18, 2024 governorship has left many people stunned.

“These evidences are that PDP’s Peter Mbah was at that time of the election not qualified to contest the into the office of Governor of Enugu State having presented a forged NYSC discharge Certificate to INEC in contravention of Section 182(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution As Amended. Evidence to prove this came from the NYSC Director of Certification who was subpoenaed by the tribunal to say that Mbah was parading a forged NYSC certificate.

“Earlier before this, the Director General of the NYSC, Brig Gen. Y.D. Ahmed had gone on national Television, ARISE TV to say that Mbah was parading a forged NYSC certificate”.

He explained that the Labour Party Candidate also tendered an NYSC disclaimer letter dated 2/2/23 which was admitted as Exhibit EPT01/8A& B. PW2 from the legal firm Omas & Partners, also a subpoenaed witness.

The National Secretary of the Labour also added that a Letter of appointment was tendered July 14th 2003 appointing him as Chief of Staff to the then Governor of Enugu State, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani when he claimed to be serving in Lagos as a Corps Member.

He stressed that evidences were tendered both at the tribunal and court of appeal but were rejected as not enough together with the various witness statements confirming over-voting, the act of non-compliance complained by the party’s candidate in Nkanu East and Igboeze North LGAs and the failure of INEC to cancel the results in places where there were incidences of over-voting as demanded by the Electoral Act.

“In Enugu state, we need to remind Nigerians and all lovers of democracy that the Labour Party won 2 of the three Senate seats, Seven of the Eight House of Representatives seats, and 14 majority of the 24 state House of Assembly seats but INEC and the Judiciary are trying to give the governorship to another party” Mallam Farouk stated.

“Our position is that if this stands at the Supreme Court, four major and dangerous things will happen: the will and desire of Enugu people as demonstrated in their voting pattern on March 8 will be undermined, forgery of the NYSC certificate and indeed other certificates will be legalized, NYSC as a credible national institution in the country will be destroyed and the military who oversees the NYSC as a paramilitary body will be dented” he emphasized.

Edited By Grace Namiji