In a recent development, the Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised concerns over the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig Gen Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, and his statements regarding the discharge certificate of Governor-elect Dr. Peter Mbah. The PDP has questioned the credibility of the NYSC DG’s claims and criticized the agency’s contemptuous actions in relation to a court order.
Speaking at a press conference, Barr. Nana Ogbodo, the Director of Communications and Spokesperson of the Enugu State PDP Campaign Council, expressed disappointment at the false claims made by the NYSC DG during an interview on Arise News. According to Ogbodo, the DG’s statements aligned with the agency’s ongoing conspiracy, deceit, and distortion of facts, which prompted Dr. Mbah to file a N20 billion lawsuit against the NYSC and its Director of Corps Certification, Mr. Ibrahim Muhammad.
The PDP clarified that the DG’s assertion that he informed Dr. Mbah that the NYSC did not issue his certificate was false. Instead, the DG acknowledged that the Director responsible for the disclaiming letter had not briefed or obtained clearance from him before issuing it. The PDP further highlighted that Dr. Mbah presented a letter from the NYSC national headquarters, dated May 7, 2003, which remobilized him to complete his service year after a break, as authorized by the agency.
Despite the evidence presented, the NYSC has failed to respond formally to Dr. Mbah’s petition since February 2, 2023. In addition, the agency’s Director of Corps Certification continues to issue disclaimers, disregarding a court judgment that validated the authenticity of Dr. Mbah’s certificate. The PDP expressed concern over this continuous disparagement of Dr. Mbah’s reputation and the agency’s contempt of a subsisting court order.
The PDP questioned the logic behind the idea that Dr. Mbah would go through the rigorous process of national service only to forge a certificate. It emphasized that the final decision on the authenticity of Dr. Mbah’s NYSC certificate rests with the court and urged the NYSC to address the N20 billion lawsuit in a court of law. The party also called on the agency to exercise its right to subpoena other relevant agencies involved in the production and authentication of NYSC certificates to present evidence.
The PDP further challenged the NYSC to produce any other certificate in the series that shares the same serial number as Dr. Mbah’s, highlighting that NYSC discharge certificates are printed by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company PLC and possess security features such as watermarks and batch-specific serial numbers.
Lastly, the PDP emphasized that the NYSC’s Director-General, Brigadier-General Ahmed, is in contempt of a valid interim court order, as suit number FHC/ABJ/09/611/2023 restrains the agency and its Director of Corps Certification from issuing or publishing disclaimers regarding Dr. Mbah’s NYSC discharge certificate. The party concluded by stating that the NYSC should not consider itself above the law, as it is an institution established by law and must adhere to legal processes
