Connect with us

Politics

Alleged Certificate Forgery: PDP Drags Gombe Governor, Deputy To Court

Published

on

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approached the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja with a suit seeking to disqualify Governor Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State from contesting the 2023 governorship election, following an allegation that he submitted forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The PDP, which lodged the suit alongside its gubernatorial candidate in the state, Muhammad Barde, equally prayed the court to disqualify Governor Yahaya’s deputy, Jatau Daniel.
The Plaintiffs, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1301/2022, alleged that while governor Yahaya tendered false certificates in aid of his qualification, with same published by the INEC on July 22, 2022, his deputy, Daniel, bears multiple names in all his educational certificates without any valid change of name attached to the Form EC-9 he submitted to INEC.
In the Originating Summons they filed through their team of lawyers led by Arthur Okafor, SAN, and Johnson Usman, SAN, the Plaintiffs, relied on series of Supreme Court decisions to contend that the governor and his deputy, having deposed to Forms EC-9 that contained forged certificates, they ought to be disqualified in line with sections 177(d) and 182(1J) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Specifically, the Plaintiffs told the court that the name on the primary school certificate the deputy governor submitted to INEC was Manassah Jatau, while his West African examination Council School Certificate bore the name, Daniel Manassah J.
They further told the court that while Manassah Daniel Jatau was the name on the deputy governor’s University of Maiduguri Certificate, Daniel Manassah was the name on his National Youth Service Corp, NYSC, Certificate.
Likewise, Plaintiffs, told the court that governor Yahaya had in the Form EC-9 (Affidavit of personal particulars) he submitted to INEC, stated that he worked in Bauchi State Investment Company Limited in 1984 and A.Y.U & Co. Ltd between 1985 to 2003, as against what he deposed to in 2018 as working in Bauchi Investment Company Limited in 1985 and A.Y.U & Co. Ltd between 1980-1990.
“That Governor Yahaya, in 2018 while presenting his personal particulars in aid of his qualification to participate in the Gombe State Governorship election stated in his INEC FORM CF001 that he worked with A.Y.U & Co. Ltd from 1980 – 1990, while in 2022, the same 3rd Defendant stated in his INEC FORM EC-9 that he worked with A.Y.U. & Co Ltd from 1985 – 2003.
“That the Governor, by his INEC FORM CF001 has stated under oath that in 1980 -1990, he worked with A.Y.U. & Co Ltd, however, in 2022, the Governor stated again on oath via his INEC FORM EC-9 that he worked with the same A.Y.U. & Co. Ltd from 1985 – 2003”.
According to the Plaintiffs, the deputy governor who claimed to have worked with the Nigeria Army from August 1979 to July 1980, submitted an NYSC discharge certificate that stated that he commenced his National Youth service in August 1979 and completed same in July 1979.
The Plaintiffs drew attention of the court to paragraph D of the Deputy Governor’s INEC Form EC-9, wherein he claimed to have worked with the Nigerian Army from July 1979 till August 1980 and his reason for leaving in July 1980, was for the National Youth Service.
PDP and its candidate stressed that whereas the deputy governor’s INEC FORM EC-9 showed that he commenced his NYSC after he left the Nigeria Army in July 1980, however, the NYSC Certificate he submitted to INEC indicated that he commenced his NYSC in August 1979 and ended same in July 1979.
The Plaintiffs argued that FORM EC-9, being an affidavit on oath, both the Governor and his Deputy, are therefore not qualified to contest the election.
They are, among other things, praying the court to determine; “Whether in view of the clear and unambiguous provisions of Sections 177(d) and of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended), read together with the extant provisions of the National Youth Service COIPS (NYSC) Act and Bye Laws as well as Section 84(3) AND (13) of the Electoral Act 2022, the decision of the Ist Defendant to have published the names of the 3rd and 4th Defendants as candidates or flagbearers of the 2nd Defendant to take part or otherwise contest in any and/or all the stages of elections into the office of Governor and Deputy Governor of Gombe State in the 2023 Governorship elections in Gombe State having presented or submitted forged certificate or forged deposition on oath to the 1st Defendant; is not wrongful, illegal or unlawful”.
Aside from the governor and his deputy, INEC and the APC were also cited as Defendants in the matter.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.

 

Continue Reading

Politics

Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar

Published

on

In a renewed effort to deepen Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has announced the commencement of its Zonal and National Public Hearings across the country.

A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.

The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.

The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.

It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.

“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.

The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.

 

Continue Reading

Politics

Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

Published

on

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has stirred fresh political controversy by dismissing claims that President Bola Tinubu was highly instrumental to former President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence in 2015 after the merger of political parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC).

For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.

He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.

Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.

In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.

According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.

“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.

“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.

“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.

“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.

In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.

“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.

Continue Reading

Politics

Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi

Published

on

Former Presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, has accused Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, of spreading false information about Nigeria’s debt profile, claiming it is deterring foreign investors from the country.

Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.

Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.

“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.

“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.

To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.

“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.

“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.

“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.

 

Continue Reading

Trending