ENUGU, Nigeria — Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State is facing growing demands for his impeachment amid allegations of electoral fraud and rising violence, less than two months after assuming office.
The Enugu State Stakeholders Forum, ESSF, a local advocacy group, issued a statement on Saturday, July 22, 2023, titled “The Ongoing Humiliation of Enugu State,” calling on the state’s House of Assembly to initiate impeachment proceedings against Governor Mbah.
The ESSF’s president, Professor Joe Aneke, and secretary, Dr Ifeanyi Agbo, signed the statement.
“The Enugu people cannot wait for a whole six months for the Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal to finish its work and remove Mbah for being an electoral usurper,” the statement read. The ESSF claimed the state has witnessed “at least one politically motivated killing every three days” since Mbah took office, describing it as an “unprecedented development” for a state known for its relative peace.
This latest move comes after an unsuccessful plea from the Southeast zone of the Network of Evangelical Bishops of Nigeria, NEBN, urging Governor Mbah to resign.
The group accused Governor Mbah of making the state increasingly ungovernable due to both incompetence and a lack of legitimacy, leading to an escalation in violence and chaos.
The ongoing Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has fueled the fire.
Governor Mbah’s legitimacy is being challenged by the Labour Party, which alleges that he forged his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, discharge certificate.
Documents submitted during the tribunal showed that when Mbah claimed to have completed his NYSC service, he served as the Chief of Staff to the then governor, Senator Chimaraoke Nnamani.
This contradiction was underscored by charges of corruption against Mbah by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in 2007 in his capacity as Chief of Staff during the same period.
Additionally, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which declared Mbah the winner of the gubernatorial vote, has failed to produce even one witness to defend its declaration.
In their statement, the ESSF accused the governor of compounding the security situation in the state by declaring war on Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, militants, who enforce the Monday sit-at-home order by the non-state actors, without providing adequate security personnel.
They further criticized his decision to appoint his personal bodyguard as Special Assistant on Security in these trying times.
The ESSF has therefore urged the House of Assembly to act swiftly, concluding their statement with a call to action, “He has refused to heed the advice of Southeastern bishops to resign forthwith and receive a soft landing from the legitimate governor.”