Over two months after an Abuja Area Court ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate an allegation of forgery against the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Erwhudjakpo, the security agency is keeping mum on the matter.
Several calls to the spokesman of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, seeking an update on the issue were not answered. A text message sent to him was marked delivered but was also not responded to.
However, a lawyer to Benjamin Youdiowei, who initially filed the case before the court, Barrister Seidu Jibrin, told our reporter that the DSS told them that investigation was ongoing, though the COVID-19 pandemic had not given him the opportunity to seek an update on the case.
He said he accompanied the court bailiff to the DSS office a day after the court gave the order and that he could confirm that the court official took the court order to the office of the Director-General of DSS and the order was acknowledged.
It would be recalled that Ewhrudjakpo of the PDP was sworn in as deputy governor of Bayelsa State when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) pronounced Douye Diri as the elected governor of the state following the Supreme Court judgment disqualifying the former governor-elect, David Lyon of APC.
Before his swearing-in, Ewhrudjakpo, who was in the Senate representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, was dragged before the court in Lugbe, Abuja on the allegation of presenting a forged NYSC Exemption Certificate with N0.139708 dated Feb. 2, 1998, on his nomination form to INEC.
The plaintiff in the suit, Youdiowei, a chieftain of the APC in Bayelsa alleged that Ewhrudjakpo was still in possession of the document which he continued to use as part of his credentials.
Following the absence of Erwhudjakpo in court on November 27, 2019, the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
However, at the resumed hearing of the case on February 20, the court was told by Seidu Jibrin, counsel for the plaintiff, that the matter was fixed for the report of police investigation as it was referred to the Wuye Police Station for further investigation on the last adjourned date.
Jibrin expressed concern that the defendant and his counsel were not in court despite the bench warrant issued by the court at the previous sitting.
He alleged that the case file was moved from Wuye Police Station to the IGP Monitoring Unit of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters by some people who, he said, though they were above the law.
He also alleged that when he was summoned by the IGP Monitoring Unit, his call to bar certificate was seized by the police.
Based on this development, the judge, Abubakar Sadiq, held that the procedure was that, “if by any reason, Wuye Police Station is not capable of investigating the matter, they should have reported back to the court, so that the court can order another unit of the police to investigate it.
“We hereby terminate the order of investigation given to the police in respect of this matter and order the DSS to investigate it, Sadiq held, adding that the DSS could take the matter to any court of their choice after their investigations.
But in a swift reaction, Ewhrudjakpo said neither him nor his agents have approached INEC to swap the alleged forged NYSC certificate.
It could be recalled that Erwhudjakpo had in February said the issue of certificate forgery was put to rest by an Abuja High Court when he contested senatorial election and was challenged in court by his opponent.
He explained that the NYSC made an error on his name while issuing his certificate, but that he had since written to the corps and another certificate bearing his correct name had been re-issued.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected most activities in the county, including that of the judiciary, Daily Trust reports that the DSS as part of the security apparatus of the country is classified under essential services.
Liberation gov’ship candidate goes to tribunal
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of Liberation Movement (LM) in the November 16, 2019 governorship election in the state, Mr Vijah Eldred Opuama, has asked the court to nullify the victory of the governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Erwhudjakpo, over alleged forged certificates submitted by the deputy governor.
The Bayelsa State governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja yesterday began its pre-hearing session in the petition filed by Opuama of LM amid tight security at the Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 6.
In the suit, with petition number EPT/BY/GOV/02/2020, the petitioner listed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Douye Diri and his deputy, Lawrence Erwhudjakpo as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th respondents respectively.
The petitioner is challenging the declaration of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th respondents by the 1st respondent as the winners of the 2019 governorship election on the grounds that the 3rd and 4th respondents were not qualified to contest the election having submitted forged certificates and false information to the 1st respondent.
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