Enugu governor-elect sues NYSC for N20bn

The Enugu State Governor-elect, Peter Mbah, has demanded N20bn as exemplary damages against the National Youth Service Corps and its Director, Corps Certification, Ibrahim Muhammed, for “conspiracy, deceit and misrepresentation of facts.”

It could be recalled that Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court had on Monday, upon a motion ex parte by Mbah’s counsel, Emeka Ozoani (SAN), made “an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants, NYSC and Muhammed from issuing, publishing further disclaimer that the NYSC certificate dated January 6, 2003, with “certificate number: A808297 issued to the plaintiff… by Section 11 of the NYSC Decree No. 51 of 1993, was not issued by NYSC pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed in this suit.”

Earlier on, during the build-up to the March 18, 2023, governorship election, Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party was accused by some opposition political parties of presenting a forged NYSC certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

In its response letter dated February 1, 2023, and signed by its Director of Corps Certification, Ibrahim A. Muhammad, the NYSC denied issuing the certificate to Mbah.

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Following this, Mbah approached the court for an order of interim injunction restraining the NYSC and its directors from issuing and publishing disclaimers with respect to the certificate saga.

More so, besides the N20bn damages pressed, Mbah, in the writ of summons by his counsel, is equally seeking a declaration that he participated in the NYSC scheme for one calendar year with a call-up letter number FRN/2001/800351; Lagos code LA/01/1532; and upon completion was issued a certificate of National Service No. A808297.

The writ also seeks “a declaration that the defendants… conspired by fraudulent design, suppressed, and misrepresented facts in the supposition that the plaintiff’s certificate of national service with number A808297 was not issued by the defendants, a fact they knew or ought to know as untrue or incorrect, which act constitutes an act of conspiracy.

“A declaration that the defendants were negligent and maliciously misrepresented facts, which facts the defendants know or ought to know as untrue and ought reasonably to have foreseen that damages would flow from such negligent misrepresentation of material facts.

“A declaration that the predominant purpose of the deceitful misrepresentation was intended, albeit to inflict damages in the legal profession, politics, and business, as it was to unlawfully profit the defendants.

“An order that the plaintiff’s certificate of national service number: A808297 is authentic and was validly issued by the 1st defendant.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants both jointly/separately, their officers and servants in whatever manner and however called, from disclaiming, resisting, or repudiating the certificate of national service number: A808297, issued to the plaintiff, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah.”

“That the plaintiff, upon completion of his NYSC service, was issued NYSC certificate number: A808297, dated, January 6, 2003, certifying that he completed the one year of NYSC from January 7, 2002, to January 6, 2003.”