Peter Mbah: Stop running and face the music
By Paschal Chinedu Igwenagu
Honestly, any discerning person, not just in Enugu State but also across Nigeria should be ashamed at what is happening in the Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal with respect to the undercut methods being employed by Peter Mbah of the PDP to evade justice in the case of his NYSC discharge certificate forgery. It will be recalled that the Labour Party and its governorship candidate in the State (who actually won the election) had approached the Tribunal to retrieve its stolen mandate on several grounds, prominent among which is Peter Mbah’s certificate forgery.
Realising that the outcome of the matter would not be in his favour, Peter Mbah and his journey men have invented bizarre strategies to run from justice. They have hit on the expediency of dodging the court or even trying to compromise the wheels of justice. The latest in this plot was the inability of Peter Mbah to appear before the Election Petition Tribunal to answer questions relating to his claims about the authenticity of the NYSC certificate in question despite the issuance of subpoena by the Tribunal.
The reason adduced by his spin-doctors was that the subpoena was not served according to due process; and here one begins to wonder what due process means. Then suddenly, Peter Mbah’s social media minions went abroad to “celebrate” the rejection by the Tribunal of Chijioke Edeoga’s application for interrogatories on Peter Mbah. That these social media louts could go celebrating without as much seeing the caveat in the Tribunal’s “rejection” is pitiable. The tribunal simply said that since those interrogatory questions could still be asked during the cross-examination, there was no need duplicating the process by way of interrogatories.
I don’t think there is anything untoward here. Peter Mbah would eventually stand in the dock to tell the world when, how and where he got his NYSC discharge certificate. He will still tell us when he was appointed Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Finance under Chimaroke Nnamani. He will tell us where he got his WAEC certificate and all that. So for those “rejoicing”, the time has not come and will never come because lie has no defense against truth. _Oga_ Mbah, if thou be a man; stand and confront the truth. Stop running from pillar to post. The drums of truth are beating, if your hands are clean dance to its rhythms.
What is the truth here? That Peter Mbah is fraud personified. Everything about him reeks of mischief and fraud. From his background to his very name, there is nothing genuine about him. Further to this is that he is holding the governorship mandate in default. He was beaten black and blue by the LP. But INEC and Festus Okoye along with the Returning Officer stood justice on its head; manufactured numbers and imposed Peter Mbah on the people of Enugu State. How any rational human being would think that this injustice will stand beats my imagination.
Peter Mbah cannot run away from justice. His attack on NYSC is diversionary. NYSC has, for the umpteenth time, disclaimed the discharge certificate Peter Mbah is parading around. Only a shameless criminal would continue to “ _pasmaga_ ” even when the truth is obvious. A thief who came to steal fowl was caught and in defense he said he came to eat the fowl’s excrement. Now the excrement has been brought in large quantity and he began to tell another story. The judgment against such person is certainly a verdict of guilt. That’s Peter Mbah for you. If Peter Mbah is certain about his claims, he should come forward and defend himself in court; not avoiding appearance. Honestly I see him as an interim governor; and you can see that under him, the wolves are regrouping yet again to bleed Enugu State to death.
Why is Peter Mbah avoiding court appearance? Because he knows that the truth cannot be impugned and that if questioned he would convict himself by himself. And here, I ask Peter Mbah and his agents: If you do well, shall you not be accepted? Let me tell us something here! Those who try to pervert the course of justice shall be doomed. They may carry out their schemes in the secret and think that we don’t know or see what they are doing; their intent is to upturn the wheels of justice, but as the saying goes, before long the wind will blow and the rump of the fowl will be exposed.
When that day comes the deaf will hear the judgment of righteousness being read aloud; and the blind will open their eyes and see. This is the full meaning of “ oga emefa vam n’anya ”. Foolish people will learn to understand, and those who are always writing in support of injustice and for their stomachs will be glad to be taught. The impoverished and ordinary people of Enugu state, whose common patrimony the PDP in Enugu State has wasted for over two decades, will once again find their voices to sing the songs of freedom, which only true justice gives. That day shall soon come. No matter where Peter Mbah runs to the scepter of justice shall pursue him. He will not rest until he releases that which he has illegally taken. He cannot escape this reality.
Paschal Chinedu Igwenagu, writes from Enugu
