Bayelsa Dep Governor Waives Immunity, Presents Disputed NYSC Certificate In Court

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Friday, June 5th, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Bayelsa State deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpor on Thursday presented his NYSC discharge certificate before the State Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja.

The politician is commended for being the first Governor/Deputy Governor to waive his immunity to honour a court summon.

Recall that the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo had withdrawn the motion he filed to vacate the subpoena that was issued for him to appear before the state governorship tribunal sitting in Abuja to tender a copy of his disputed National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Exemption Certificate allegedly issued in 1998.

Ewhrudjakpo, through his lead counsel, Mr. Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, SAN, told the Justice Muhammad Sirajo-led three-member panel tribunal that he would appear to testify in the petition seeking to sack him and the governor, Duoye Diri, from office over alleged certificate forgery and he did.

Speaking to journalists after the court session, Ewhrudjakpo described the petitioner as a “miscreant” whose intention was to malign him.

His words: “There are some persons in this country that should be respected, and that is people like us who don’t have any skeleton in our cupboard.”

“I waived my immunity, I drove by road, slept in Lokoja last night and came in today because one miscreant feels he can malign me. And I have come here to prove to the whole world that my certificates are intact, authentic and I have never altered any document and I will take the appropriate actions as far as these issues are concerned because defamation has come into this issue, maligning has come into this issue, libel has come into this issue.

“You don’t expect a deputy governor to leave his state to come here only for you to have a rethink. This shows that the petition as we have always maintained is not only frivolous, deceitful, but it is being sponsored by some persons who don’t want Bayelsa to progress.”