The Protracted Allegation Of Certificate Forgery Against Governor Gabriel Suswam Of Benue State: A Call For Your Intervention

October 30th, 2011

The National Chairman,
People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
Wadata House, Abuja

Your Excellency:  We the undersigned citizens of Benue State, write to request your pleasure to intervene in the seeming crisis of integrity involving our Governor, Rt. Hon. Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam. The Benue state Governor, has consistently refused to present his GCE O’ Level Certificate despite all legal and political entreaties adopted to compel him to do so.

2.    When a highly placed member of your great party, in the stature of Governor of a state, makes the presentation of an ordinary level certificate of education an issue, it simply means he does not have one or has certainly forged it to conceal inadequacies and is feeling either too embarrassed or certainly, too criminally compromised to make a public presentation.

3.    The request for your intervention has become very necessary before history will lay its heavy hand on you for your indifference to the inability of your highly placed member to iron out the wraps in the spreadsheet of his personal integrity affects the moral content and integrity of your party.

4.    We are emboldened in this request by the new high tide of national agitation and enthusiasm for leadership to attain the highest standards of public decency and transparency. Should you hearken to our request and intervene in this matter, you would have subscribed to the wisdom of George Bernard Shaw: “we must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy”, to slur the seemingly indecent and dishonest conduct of your highly placed member, our Governor, Rt. Hon. Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam.

5.    Your Excellency, the continuity of this integrity crisis is affecting our morale, self-esteem as a people, and our sense of pride. We are often disconsolate whenever the protracted crisis and indeed the scandal of certificate forgery relating to Rt. Hon. Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam is mentioned. If this is not bleeding the prestige of our great state, it is certainly devaluing the stature of leadership which your political party may have set out to provide. The office of governor of a state, being a position of high esteem should be enveloped in an aura of high moral standards, and exemplary leadership. The political party on the other hand, should strive to be the moral barometer for the measurement of these standards and this should reflect in the conduct and discipline of its members.

6.    In the present indifference, your party risks cold complicity in the brazen compromise of such standards and may suffer the unfortunate fate of eroding public confidence as it continues to condone decay of integrity. This is why we feel ridiculed, and the entire Benue people seemingly diminished under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam of the People’s Democratic Party. As chairman of the party, you have a moral burden and responsibility to Nigerians to raise your voice and stem the tide of eroding public confidence that is seeing your party as the sponsor of forgery and a master forger. Should you lack the courage of demanding of governor Suswam the proof of his certificate, you will risk damaging the reputation of the People’s Democratic Party.

7.    It is in this light and for the sake of public probity, integrity and transparency that we humbly enjoin you to prevail on the governor of Benue State Rt. Hon. Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam to choose the path of honour and decency by bringing forth his WAEC O’ Level General Certificate of Education (GCE) result to once and for all end this worthlessly senseless controversy. Even as we are aware of the fact that Governor Suswam matriculated into University of Lagos with a forged WAEC, it may interest you to know that he did not also graduate as his transcripts from the University of Lagos indicate that he had four carryovers in his final year which he has not taken till date. Though this may not be of any consequence to you, kindly save us the agony of having a forger with fake records fraudulently presiding over the affairs of our state.

8.    How else could one appreciate the fact that Governor Suswam has used every intrigue and trick known to law and politics to ensure that he remains governor of Benue state without presenting this rudimentary requirement? From this perspective, you can understand why the pre-election dispute between Governor Suswam and his fellow contestant; Hon. Terver Kaki, in your party primaries as it bothers on alleged certificate forgery and non-qualification before the Federal High Court has not been disposed of since January 2011.

9.    Nigerians will be right if they accuse your party of corrupting and meddling in the affairs of the judiciary as the case against Rt. Hon. Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam has been seemingly isolated by Nigerian Judiciary and handled differently. How else could one unravel the puzzle in the face of the facts of the speedy handling of pre-election matters like the one of Mr Hope Uzodimma versus Senator Ositdat Izunaso, which lasted only three weeks in court and judgment delivered? The one of Adamu Maina Waziri, versus Senator Shehu Al-Bashiru and others also ended in just three weeks. Mohammed Abacha versus CPC was heard and determined by the Federal High Court within three weeks.

10.    It is also ridiculous that, even when Governor Gabriel Suswam, complained to the Nigerian Police against one Chidozie Ukpabi, who was arrested and arraigned before an Abuja Magistrate Court, that he publicly confessed in the media his role in forging the Level certificate in favour of Rt. Hon. Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam, the matter has been deliberately abandoned by the prosecutors for the singular purpose of denying justice.

11.    Your Excellency may further recall when Alhaji Salisu Buhari, then Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives was accused of forgery; he demonstrated high moral standards and swiftly resigned from the House of Representatives to save the nation the shame and embarrassment. Similarly, Honourable Dimeji Bankole, also former Speaker of the House of Representatives, brought out his National Youth Service Discharge Certificate as proof against public allegation that he did not participate in the NYSC scheme. It may interest you to know that President Barrack Obama, of the United States of America also did not waste time to publicly present his birth certificate in the face of an accusation disputing his citizenship of America. You will agree that this is the requirement of reputable leadership. Why will the Governor of Benue State, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Torwua Suswam of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), choose to be ingeniously negative and different?

12.    Recently, the Makurdi Division of the Court of Appeal upturned the lower tribunal’s decision and ordered for the constitution of a new panel to try the election petition brought by Prof. Daniel Saror of the ANPP, bothering on the issue of certificate forgery and non-qualification of Rt. Hon. Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam. Instead of Rt. Hon. Dr. Gabriel Torwua Suswam accepting the Appeal Court’s verdict as yet another opportunity to present his certificate to rest this protracted dispute, he shamelessly proceeded to appeal the judgment at the Supreme Court.

13.    If it is not intriguing, it is certainly worrisome and disturbing that this member of the PDP; and Executive Governor displayed the high genius by enrolling and completing full time doctorate degree in law at the University of Jos while serving as governor of Benue State. Did he not present the mandatory requirement of an O’ Level and first degree as required? If he did, why has it become a tug of war to show it to the public or to the courts of law?

14.    You owe a duty to Nigeria in general and Benue people in particular if you must extricate yourself from this dishonourable conduct of your member. Should you continue to condone and mingle with dishonour you will certainly become accomplice after the fact in the unkind verdict of history? You must condemn roguery in public service to be in tune with the emerging national enthusiasm for integrity, transparency and responsive leadership.

Please accept the assurances of our highest regard and esteem.
Very truly yours,
Benue Watch