Hot gist! I won’t fail Enugu people, Mbah declares after appeal court victory

The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, yesterday, affirmed the victory of Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, in the March 18 governorship election.

The court dismissed the appeal filed by the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, as lacking in merit and upheld the judgment of the Enugu Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal delivered in September.

The three-member panel led by Justice Tijani Yusuf Hassan held that the appellant failed to prove that Mbah forged his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and was not qualified to contest the election.

Basking in the euphoria of the Court of Appeal verdict, Mbah said the judgment was consistent with the mandate freely given to him by the people of Enugu State.

He described the judgment as victory for the people and transformation of the state in line with his manifesto, assuring that he would never fail the people.

Mbah further stated that the judgment had put paid to falsehoods peddled to malign his government.

The governor said: “As you are aware, a few minutes ago, the Court of Appeal in Lagos, dismissed an appeal filed against us by the Labour Party gubernatorial candidate.

“The judgment of the appellate court is consistent with an earlier dismissal of the same matter filed before the Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal; and both judgments are in line with the mandate freely given to us by the great people of Enugu State in the March 18 gubernatorial election. They further reaffirmed our belief in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.

“Let me also say this as a lawyer: this judgment reaffirms my belief and trust in the irrevocable will of the judiciary.
“I want to use this opportunity to commend the Justices of the Court of Appeal for standing firmly by the sacredness of the temple of justice.
“I want to also thank the great people of Enugu State for their endurance in the face of palpable untruths purveyed just to paint their government black. Therefore, with this judgment, we are going to deploy more energy and commitment to bring development to the doorsteps of Ndi Enugu.
“Permit me also to state that this is not a victory for Peter Mbah as a governor; it is victory for water that will run nonstop in Enugu city homes in less than 20 days from today. It is also a victory that would make the length and breadth of Enugu State a road construction site. It is also a victory that would ensure that we have smart schools across the 260 Wards of Enugu State.

“Let me assure Ndi Enugu that we are not going to let them down. We are going to deploy every breath and fiber of our being to consolidate on the gains we have made so far. Again, I want to express my profound gratitude to the great people of Ndi Enugu for their tremendous support and unimpeachable trust they reposed in us. We will never fail them. Indeed, the long awaited tomorrow is right here with us”.

The Laurels International Magazine