Forgery allegation against me frivolous, ill-motivated, says Rep

The member of the House of Representatives representing Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency in Delta State, Mr. Nicholas Mutu, has reacted to allegations of forgery and impersonation leveled against him by Mr. Collins Eselemo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the area in the February 2019 general election.

Mutu, who won the election on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described the allegations as frivolous and ill-motivated, adding that they were aimed at damaging his hard-earned reputation.

The conventional and social media have been awash lately with allegations of certificate forgery and impersonation against Mutu by his main opponent in the election.

But Mutu, in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mr. Ebitimi Ogbomah, said the allegations bordering on certificate forgery and impersonation had been “rubbished by the responses of the appropriate authorities, including all the schools he (Mutu) attended and the National Assembly, where he had been a member since 1999, courtesy of the good people of Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency.”

On the allegation that Mutu’s West African Examinations Council ((WAEC) Ordinary Level School Certificate/General Certificate of Education (GCE), issued by the management of Rivers State School of Basic Studies, Rumuola, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, now known as Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, was fake, Ogbomah said the letter written by the Registrar of the institute, Mr. Chris Woke, on the matter had cleared Mutu of any wrongdoing.

In the letter, he said, Woke confirmed that the school was not only recognised but was a centre for WAEC and GCE in 1986 when Mutu sat for the examination.

Woke, who attached the certified copies of the master list/computer printout of candidates who sat for the examination in the centre in 1986, said Mutu was one of the candidates, with 21648/094 as his examination number.

Woke in the letter, which was sequel to an enquiry made by Mutu’s solicitors, stated: “I write to confirm that the former Rivers State School of Basic Studies, Rumuola, Port Harcourt (now Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic), was a recognised school and centre for West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Ordinary Level School Certificate/General Certificate of Education (GCE) Examinations as at May/June 1986.

“The then Rivers State School of Basic Studies, Port Harcourt, functioned as a recognised school/centre for May/June WAEC/GCE Examinations from 1977 to June 1987 and continued with November/December General Certificate of Education(GCE) up to 1990 before it was discontinued, following the introduction of the 6-3-3-4 education system in Nigeria.

“The master list/computer printout of the candidate, 21648/094, Mutu Nicholas Eboma, amongst other candidates that sat for the May/June Examinations in 1986, is certified, attached hereto and marked as Annexure 1”

“The former school of Basic Studies established in 1977 by the Rivers State Government was changed to Rivers State College of Arts and Science in 1991 (vide Annexure 2), Port Harcourt Polytechnic in 2016 (vide Annexure 3) and now Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic Rumuola, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.”

Ogbomah also said the degree certificate awarded to Mutu by St. Clements University was authentic and genuine, adding that contrary to Eselemo’s claim, his boss was awarded a Bachelor of Arts and not Bachelor of Science degree in Business Organisation by the reputable institution.

He said that instead of Eselemo visiting the website of the school or write to it for clarification on the genuineness of the certificate in question, he opted to assassinate Mutu’s character and smear his good image.

“For the records, St. Clements University Certificate is genuine and anybody can go to the university’s website, write or visit the school to confirm that Hon. Mutu Nicholas indeed obtained his degree from the school,”’ he added.

On the allegation that Mutu used a fake name in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2003, Ogbomah said the records were available on the National Assembly’s website for verification.

He said: “We expected the petitioner to visit the National Assembly Website or write the National Assembly, but he decided to rely on a faceless magazine report.

“But to set the record straight, it is Hon. Nicholas Mutu’s profile that has been in the National Assembly website from 1999 till date.

“It is also on record that Hon. Nicholas Mutu has won all his elections from 1999 till date and certificate of return has always been issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his name, with which he does his documentation in the National Assembly at all times.

“It is worthy of note that nobody can do his or her documentation in the National Assembly and be sworn-in without a certificate of return.”

Ogbomah stated further that “to demonstrate that Eselemo is on campaign of calumny to smear my boss, he also alleged that the Hon. Mutu played pranks in his age declaration. This is arrant nonsense.

“This is the true account: Hon Mutu’s father did his age declaration with his thumbprint. Coincidentally, his elder brother bears the same name as his father. While his father name was Agbede Mutu Senior, his elder brother’s name is Agbede Mutu Junior.

“Let Collins Eselemo also tell us the name of Hon. Mutu’s father since he now knows him better than his son. Let Collins Eselemo also tell us whether the thumbprint is that of Hon. Nicholas Mutu’s elder brother and whether his elder brother has the same thumbprint as his father.

“And we ask also if it is possible for the elder brother to have the same thumbprint as his father. The answer is no.”