Top APC Governor Faces Fresh Police Petition Over Alleged Forged NYSC Certificate Submitted To INEC
Top APC Governor Faces Fresh Police Petition Over Alleged Forged NYSC Certificate Submitted To INEC
Ugwu claimed that in a response dated February 1, 2023, signed by Ibrahim A. Muhammad on behalf of the NYSC, the Corps explicitly stated that the certificate was not issued by it.
Alegal practitioner, Ejikeme Ignatius Ugwu, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, calling for a discreet investigation into Enugu State Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah over allegations that he submitted a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as part of his 2022 electoral documentation.
In the petition dated October 20, 2026, filed by Ejike Ugwu & Associates on behalf of Chief Obodoeez Chukwuma Ocho, the lawyer urged the IGP to use his office to probe NYSC Certificate No: LA/FRN/01/808297 (also referenced as A808297), which Mbah submitted to INEC ahead of the general elections.
According to the petition obtained by SaharaReporters, a law firm, Omas & Partners, had written to the Director General of the NYSC on November 23, 2022, pursuant to Section 1 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, seeking to verify the legal status and authenticity of the certificate.
Document
Peter Mbah NYSC.pdf
Ugwu claimed that in a response dated February 1, 2023, signed by Ibrahim A. Muhammad on behalf of the NYSC, the Corps explicitly stated that the certificate was not issued by it.
The petitioner further noted that the then Director General of NYSC, during an interview with Arise TV, maintained the agency’s position that the certificate being paraded by Mbah did not emanate from them.
Acknowledging that Governor Mbah, as a serving governor, is clothed with immunity from criminal prosecution under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Ugwu argued that the immunity does not shield him from criminal investigation.
He cited the Supreme Court’s decision in Chief Gani Fawehinmi Vs IGP (2002) 7 NWLR (Pt.767) 606, where the court ruled that Section 308 does not prevent the police from investigating criminal allegations against a sitting President, Vice President, Governor, or Deputy Governor.
“The inability of your office to have investigated this crime is of great concern to our client and Nigerians as the young generation may think that forgery of certificate is a gateway to be elected into public offices,” the petition read.
The petitioner urged the IGP to initiate a discreet investigation into the authenticity of the certificate, with the aim of identifying those responsible for any wrongdoing and ensuring they are held accountable in accordance with the law.
Copies of the said NYSC certificate, the Omas & Partners letter of November 23, 2022, and the NYSC response of February 1, 2023, were said to have been attached to the fresh petition for official and record purposes.
As of the time of filing this report, the Enugu State Government and Governor Mbah had yet to react to the petition.
Credit X Sahara Reporters
