Anambra primaries: Police investigate Nwoye over forged certificates-pilot newspaper Following several petitions by aspirants and other stakeholders in Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Police Criminal Investigation Department, CID, has commenced investigations on allegations of certificate forgery and impersonation against Mr. Tony Nwoye, the embattled ‘winner’ of the Emeakayi-led faction of PDP governorship primaries. Nwoye, a former president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), as well as former chairman of Anambra State PDP chapter, was earlier disqualified from contesting the primaries by the Party’s Screening Committee on the basis of falsification of tax clearance certificates. He was also accused of impersonation by claiming to be a medical doctor and addressing himself as ”Dr” when in actual fact he did not complete his university education. He was said to have been rusticated for being a cult member. Nwoye is believed to be sponsored for the party office by oil magnate and businessman, Chief Arthur Eze, with tacit support of PDP national chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur. Police sources said the investigation is aimed at unraveling the truth about the claims in his certificates and the role played by the accused. The PDP screening committee had on 6th August 2013, disqualified Nwoye on two grounds. One, “irregular tax clearance certificate” and two, “tax clearance not backed with tax receipts’. A close observation of his PDP nomination form and the tax certificates (copies available to Nigerian Pilot) showed several incongruities. For instance, in his Nomination Form he said under ‘Educational Institutions attended with dates’ that he attended Community High School, Nsugbe from 1987 to 1991 and Metropolitan Secondary School, Onitsha from 1991 to 1992 respectively. But on qualifications, he said that he obtained the senior secondary school certificate/GCE from 1987 to 1993, instead of the 1992 earlier written. But in another surprising move, he addressed himself in one of the tax clearance certificates he submitted as “Dr. Tony Nwoye’, and under source of income he wrote “Medical Practice”. Furthermore, a closer observation of his Income Tax certificates showed irregularities in dates, sources of income, title and total taxable income. Nwoye presented three different tax certificates from three states-FCT (Garki), Anambra ( Awka) and Enugu for the period 2008 to 2012. For instance, in 2010, he claimed in the Garki, Abuja, certificate that his total income was N313, 750, but in the one from Awka, Anambra State, he stated N7, 286,938 as income and in the Enugu certificate for same year it was N238, 750. Also, whereas the Enugu certificate has date of tax receipts as 16/07/08 for 2008, 19/09/09 for 2009 and 12/05/10 for 2010 payments, those of Awka were paid same day 7/6/12 and Abuja same day of 19/07/13. In the same vein, whereas Nwoye in the Abuja tax certificate gave his source of income as ‘business’, he wrote ‘medical practice’ for the Awka certificate and nothing for Enugu. Observers say he couldn’t have claimed ‘medical practice’ as source of income since he is not a medical doctor. “At least he did not say so in his nomination form filled and signed by him. How then can he claim what he knows is not true?” said a PDP chieftain from the state. However, Nwoye appealed the decision of the screening committee and was cleared by the Appeal panel to participate in the primary to the chagrin of those who knew him. At last week Thursday night dinner hosted by Dr. Tukur for all the aspirants at his Abuja residence, one of the aspirants, Mr. Mike Okoye criticised what he called the desperation of the PDP national leadership to foist Nwoye on Anambra State despite the glaring criminal offence committed by him. Okoye mentioned issues of his opponent’s forged tax clearance certificate as well as punctured Nwoye’s claim to being a medical doctor. Okoye told the audience that Nwoye’s claims to be a medical doctor was false as according to him, the aspirant did not finish his medical studies in the university as evidenced in the nomination form Nwoye filled and submitted to the PDP. Other opponents such as Dr. Andy Ubah and Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu had equally made similar allegations. In fact, this is one of the grounds upon which Ukachukwu obtained court injunction against Nwoye and the PDP from the Federal High Court Port Harcourt. In response, Nwoye was said to have refused to respond to the allegation of forging his tax papers, but said he met the basic educational requirements to be a state governor, which is secondary school. Efforts to speak to Nwoye since last week proved abortive as his phone line was unreachable, but one of his close aides said the allegations of forging tax clearance certificates were false, stating that the former Student Union Leader and former PDP Anambra State chairman is a good and honest man, attributing the allegations to those he described as Nwoye’s political opponents
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 08:25:55 +0000
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