A legal practitioner has asked the Inspector-General of Police to investigate allegations that Governor Peter Mbah submitted a forged NYSC certificate to INEC ahead of the 2023 general elections.**
Enugu State Governor, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, is facing a fresh police petition over allegations that he submitted a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as part of his electoral documents.
The petition, dated October 20, 2026, was submitted to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, by legal practitioner Ejikeme Ignatius Ugwu through his law firm, Ejike Ugwu & Associates.
Ugwu filed the petition on behalf of his client, Chief Obodoeez Chukwuma Ocho, requesting a discreet investigation into the authenticity of NYSC Certificate No. LA/FRN/01/808297, also identified as A808297, which Mbah reportedly submitted to INEC before the 2023 general elections.
According to the petition, obtained by SaharaReporters, a law firm, Omas & Partners, had written to the NYSC Director-General on November 23, 2022, under the Freedom of Information Act, requesting confirmation of the certificate's authenticity and status.
The petitioner said the NYSC responded in a letter dated February 1, 2023, signed by Ibrahim A. Muhammad on behalf of the Corps. The response reportedly stated that the certificate was not issued by the NYSC.
Ugwu also referenced an interview granted by the then NYSC Director-General to Arise Television, during which the official reportedly maintained that the certificate attributed to Mbah did not originate from the Corps.
Addressing the constitutional immunity enjoyed by a sitting governor, the lawyer acknowledged that Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, protects Mbah from criminal prosecution while in office.
However, he argued that the provision does not prevent law enforcement agencies from investigating allegations of criminal conduct against a serving governor.
To support his position, Ugwu cited the Supreme Court's decision in *Chief Gani Fawehinmi v. Inspector-General of Police (2002) 7 NWLR (Pt. 767) 606*, which addressed the scope of constitutional immunity and the authority of the police to investigate allegations involving public office holders covered by Section 308.
The petition expressed concern over what the lawyer described as the failure of the police to investigate the allegation, warning that inaction could send the wrong message to young Nigerians about the use of questionable credentials to secure public office.
Ugwu therefore urged the Inspector-General of Police to order an investigation into the certificate, establish the circumstances surrounding its submission to INEC and identify anyone found culpable for appropriate legal action.
The petitioner reportedly attached copies of the disputed NYSC certificate, the November 23, 2022, verification request by Omas & Partners, and the NYSC's February 1, 2023, response to the fresh petition.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Governor Mbah nor the Enugu State Government had publicly responded to the latest petition.
The allegations remain subject to investigation, and no finding of criminal liability has been established against the governor in connection with the petition.
