The federal government has filed an eight-count charge
against Stella Oduah, former minister of aviation, for a felony.
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/275/23 was filed before a federal
high court in Abuja on June 26.
All the charges against the former minister bother on the
allegation that she lied on oath which amounts to a felony.
It is alleged that Oduah falsely claimed to have lost her
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate to support her eligibility to
contest elections and occupy public office.
According to the federal government, Oduah had obtained a
police report claiming that she lost her NYSC certificate.
The police report was said to have been attached with other
documents and affidavits submitted to the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and the federal government at different times.
NYSC SAYS ODUAH DID
NOT COMPLETE SCHEME
In a letter dated May 24, the management of the NYSC claimed
that Oduah did not complete the one-year mandatory national youth service
scheme.
Shuaibu Ibrahim, NYSC director-general, had said Oduah was
mobilised for national service in 1982/83 and was deployed to Lagos — but
absconded after the orientation.
He said: “The consequence of this is that she is not
qualified for the issuance of the certificate of national service.”
However, the former minister had described the allegation as
“reckless” and “scandalous”. She also threatened to sue if the allegation was
not retracted.
SIMILAR SUIT
Shortly after Oduah became a senatorial flagbearer of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra, John Emeka, an aggrieved aspirant in
the primary, approached the court to contest the outcome.
Emeka alleged that Oduah lied on oath in both her expression
of interest and nomination forms, including in the form CF001 which she
submitted to INEC.
In the originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/841/2022,
filed on June 8 by his lawyer, Mbanefo Ikwegbue, Emeka prayed the court to
declare that the information supplied by Oduah in her INEC form CF001, with
respect to her participation in the NYSC scheme, was false.
However, in a judgement delivered on November 22, 2022,
Inyang Ekwo, Abuja federal high court judge, dismissed the suit for being
status barred.
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