Altered Certificate: Tribunal Orders Bayelsa Deputy Governor’s Appearance Tomorrow

The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has ordered the embattled Deputy Governor of the state  Lawrence Oborawharievwo Ewhrudjakpo to appear before it tomorrow to produce the original copy of his disputed certificate.

The tribunal’s order followed a subpoena earlier issued on Ewhrudjakpo to appear and produce the original of the exemption certificate issued to him in 1998 by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The subpoena was issued on the request of the candidate of the Liberation Movement (LM) in the November 16, 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Vijah Opuama.

The politician is challenging Ewhrudjakpo’s qualification to contest in an election.

The petitioner alleged that Ewhrudjakpo submitted a forged exemption certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the election.

Although Ewhrudjakpo, by a motion filed May 17, 2020, challenged the competence of the subpoena and prayed the tribunal to set it aside, his team of lawyers, led by Chukwuma Machukwu Ume (SAN), yesterday applied to withdraw the motion.

The lawyer said his client was no longer challenging the subpoena and was ready to attend the tribunal’s sitting.

Lawyers to the petitioner, Pius Dande Pius, and other parties in the matter did not object to the application to withdraw the motion challenging the subpoena.

Ruling, tribunal’s chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo, struck out the motion and ordered Ewhrudjakpo’s appearance tomorrow.

The tribunal rejected his lawyer’s request that Ewhrudjakpo be allowed to appear next week on the grounds that since Bayelsa State does not have an airport, it would be difficult for the deputy governor to travel in view of the lockdown.

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