In a recent development, the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed July 11 for the hearing of the preliminary objection filed by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in response to a lawsuit brought by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, who presided over the case, also ordered the NYSC to file and serve their statement of defense within seven days of the order. The decision was made following an oral application by the defendants’ lawyer, Aminu Sadauki, seeking about a week to respond to Governor Mbah’s substantive matter.
During the proceedings, Justice Ekwo took the opportunity to warn journalists against speculating in their reporting of the case, regarding the allegations of discharge certificate forgery against the youth scheme. He emphasized the importance of reading the proceedings before publishing any information.
In another twist, the judge struck out a motion for joinder filed by the Labour Party and its governorship candidate in the Enugu State poll, Jonathan Edeoga. However, the party and its candidate later sought to withdraw the motion.
Expressing his concerns, Justice Ekwo stated, “The problem I have in this kind of thing is that persons that have not been made parties will go and start addressing the media on speculative issues and the media will start writing things when they have not read the proceedings.”
He further reminded the media that courtroom proceedings are open to them and urged them to exercise responsible journalism. “It is only in this country that you see those that said they are practicing journalism becoming agents,” he added.
The court’s decision to set a date for the hearing of NYSC’s objection in Governor Mbah’s lawsuit indicates progress in this high-profile case. Nigerians eagerly await the outcome of the proceedings and hope for a fair and just resolution.
