INEC displays certificates of Osun gov candidates

AHEAD of the September 22 governorship election in Osun State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has displayed for public scrutiny, a list of 48 candidates of political parties participating in the exercise as well as their running mates and the certificates being paraded by the contestants.

Following the development, however, fresh facts emerged on Friday on how detectives from the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Ikoyi, Lagos, arrested the principal of Ede Muslim High School I, Ede, Mr Khalid Abass, in a move to investigate the statement of results and testimonial of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adeleke.

The list with photocopies of the candidates’ academic qualifications, which was attached to Form CF001, is displayed on the notice board at the frontage of the state headquarters of the electoral body in Osogbo.

When Saturday Tribune visited the INEC secretariat, located opposite Osun State House of Assembly Complex, politicians and members of the public were seen reading through the list and checking the information contained in Form CF001 submitted by the candidates of the different political parties and their running mates.

A check through the Form CF001 submitted by the candidates indicated that the standard-bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola, holds a Bachelor of Science in Insurance and a Master’s degree in Business Administration, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke, filed in his school certificate results and testimonial from Ede Muslim High School 1, Ede.

The standard-bearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Senator Iyiola Omisore, said he holds Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Infrastructure Business Management and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Building Service Engineering, just as the candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Mr James Olugbenga Akintola, holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree and M.Sc. in Architecture. The governorship candidate of the Accord Party (AP) holds a BSc. degree in Sociology and Anthropology.

While the standard-bearer of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr Kazeem Ademola Adio, a former Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), holds a BSc. in Accounting and a Master’s degree in International Marketing Management, his counterpart in the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Chief Moshood Olalekan Adeoti, also a former Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), holds a first degree in Business Administration.

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Oluwatoki Adetokunbo Adedayo, holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Fine Arts, just as the standard-bearer of the All Grassroots Alliance (AGA), Hon. Kehinde Olufemi Lawrence, holds a first degree in Law and the candidate of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Mr Adediji Olanrewaju Adewuyi, a first degree in Education.

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How my school’s principal was arrested —Adeleke

In the meantime, fresh facts have emerged as to how police detectives arrested the principal of Ede Muslim High School I, Ede, Mr Khalid Abass, over the statement of results and testimonial of Senator Adeleke.

Adeleke, who clinched the party’s ticket in a keenly contested primary, held on July 21 in Osogbo, which was supervised by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, had submitted his statement of results and testimonial signed by Abass to INEC.

The PDP standard-bearer told Saturday Tribune that he was aware of Wednesday’s arrest of the current principal of his alma mater within the school’s premises.

Speaking through his spokesperson, Mr Dele Adeleke, the lawmaker representing Osun West senatorial district in the National Assembly stated that: “I am aware of the arrest. He was taken to an Ede North police station where he wrote a statement before he was taken to Lagos.”

However, as of the time of filing this report, on Friday, credible sources within Ede Muslim High School informed Saturday Tribune that the principal had not been released.

Informed sources said there were alleged discrepancies in the documents submitted by Adeleke to the electoral body with the testimonial indicating that he spent three years in secondary school and sat for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) organised by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) in 1981.

The educational policy implemented for secondary school programme at that particular period was Form 1 to Form 5 and NECO as an examination body had not been established in 1981.

“Besides, despite finishing his secondary school education in 1981, the date on the testimonial reads 1988 and underneath the name of Ede Muslim High School was Osun State, which was only created out of the old Oyo State on August 27, 1991 by the regime of former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida.

“Similarly, the same person who endorsed the statement of results and dated it 24th of July, 2018 also signed the testimonial and backdated it to 1988,” one of the sources said.

When Saturday Tribune visited the school, located in Ede, on Thursday, one of the teachers who craved anonymity confirmed that police detectives came on Wednesday to arrest the principal, noting that the only issue raised by the security agents was the alleged discrepancy on the date of the testimonial signed by Mr Abass.

The teacher said further that the principal was taken away by the police in their vehicle to one of their stations in Ede.

The principal, he said, had yet to be sighted since his encounter with the police detectives.

An official of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the state also confirmed the arrest.

“It is true that policemen from Lagos came to Ede Muslim High School. I was told by the teachers that the policemen came to investigate the secondary school certificate which Senator Ademola Adeleke submitted to INEC,” the NUT official said.