APC alleges plot to swap forged deputy governor’s NYSC certificate

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday alleged of a subterranean plot by the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Lawrence Oborawharievwo Ewhrudjakpo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to swap his alleged forged National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) certificates.

He had allegedly presented the said forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the Senate and deputy governorship positions with a genuine one.

This is coming less that a week after the APC approached the Supreme Court seeking a review of its ruling on the Bayelsa governorship election, which sacked David Lyon and declared Douye Diri as the winner of the poll.

APC in a statement by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, disclosed that the party had already obtained the certified true copies of the allegedly forged NYSC certificates in anticipation of the act.

Warning the leadership and officials of the INEC and NYSC not to allow themselves to be used to swap the alleged forget certificates, it also urged them not to succumb to pressure from the PDP and its agents.

The party said members of the public were already aware of the forgery case and decision of APC national leadership to continue to pursue all legal avenues to contest INEC’s decision to declare Diri as governor “having failed to meet the mandatory constitutional requirement to clinch the position.”

But in a swift reaction, Ewhrudjakpo described allegations that he forged his NYSC and exemption certificates as baseless.

He stated that he was confident that justice would soon expose those who were bent on dragging his name in the mud.

He insisted that allegations of forgery were issues in public domain even before he was nominated as running mate to Douye Diri in the 2019 governorship poll.

Speaking through his counsel, Clement Bibisa Kekemeka in Abuja, the Deputy Governor, however, admitted to an error in his NYSC Exemption Certificate but quickly laid the blame on the corps authority, who he said, misspelt his surname.

Meanwhile, Governor Diri cleared Ewhrudjakpo of any case of forgery related to his NYSC discharge certificate.

While answering questions from journalists at an interactive meeting in Abuja, he explained that there was actually no case against the Deputy Governor saying, “What happened was that his name on the NYSC discharge certificate was misspelt by the NYSC and as a lawyer, he wrote to them pointing out the error and the NYSC issued him a new certificate.

Diri said his deputy had already filed an N200m suit against those peddling the rumour that he had a forged NYSC certificate, but that they were no longer bothered as they now enjoy legal immunity from prosecution as provided by section 308 of the Nigerian constitution.

Also clarifying speculation that the PDP took APC’s deputy governorship candidate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo to court for forgery, he said Degi-Eremienyo was sued for providing false information to INEC, especially for supplying different names on his academic certificates.