2027: Enugu ADC guber candidate, Ocho resurrects Gov Mbah's NYSC certificates controversy

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Enugu State, Chief Obodoeze Chukwuma Ocho, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, demanding an investigation into Governor Peter Mbah’s National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, discharge certificates.

Ocho wrote the letter by his solicitor, Ejikeme Ignatius Ugwu of Ejike Ugwu & Associates.

He is urging the police chief to order a discreet investigation into the authenticity of the NYSC certificates submitted by Mbah to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in 2022.

In the petition dated October 20, 2026, the lawyer alleged that the governor submitted a National Service certificates bearing quantity LA/FRN/01/808297 to INEC.

According to the petition, Omas & Partners had, in a letter dated November 23, 2022, approached the Director-General of NYSC below the Freedom of Information Act, in search of clarification on the authenticity and authorized standing of the certificates.

The petition acknowledged that the NYSC, in its response dated February 1, 2023, and signed by Ibrahim A. Muhammad, confirmed that the certificates was not issued by the corps.

It additional acknowledged that the then Director-General of NYSC reiterated the organisation’s place throughout an interview with Arise Television, sustaining that the certificates allegedly offered by Mbah didn’t emanate from the corps.

Ocho, by his lawyer, argued that though the governor enjoys constitutional immunity from legal prosecution below Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, such immunity doesn’t forestall the police from investigating allegations of legal conduct.

The petition cited the Supreme Court judgment in Chief Gani Fawehinmi v. Inspector-General of Police (2002) 7 NWLR (Pt. 767) 606, which the lawyer relied upon to help his argument that constitutional immunity doesn’t preclude the investigation of legal allegations towards a sitting governor.

Expressing concern over the implications of the allegation, Ocho mentioned by his solicitor that failure to analyze the matter may ship the improper sign to youthful Nigerians.

He consequently known as on the Inspector-General of Police to provoke a discreet investigation into the certificates.

DAILY POST remembers that the Enugu governor’s NYSC discharge certificates was a controversial challenge through the 2023 common elections.

However, in a judgment delivered by a Federal High Court in Abuja, exactly three years in the past, it held that the certificates is genuine.

Justice Inyang Ekwo delivered the judgment and restrained the NYSC from additional refuting the authenticity of the certificates.

According to the decide, the proof offered earlier than the courtroom confirmed that Mbah correctly participated within the one-year programme from 2001 to 2003, after in search of and receiving permission from NYSC to attend the Nigerian Law School.

The decide held that the NYSC misrepresented info in its declare that it didn’t challenge the certificates Mbah submitted to the INEC.

Ekwo additionally awarded N5 million in damages to Mbah towards the NYSC.