On Aiyedatiwa’s qualification for gov office

I have read the police investigation report about the incumbent Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa and I also read the sponsored paid advert in the Nigerian Tribune newspaper on same subject matter.  I was scared at the initial stage of the report until I got to the paragraph where it was confirmed that His Excellency wrote WAEC (GCE) O/L at Ikosi Ketu, Lagos with Centre number 15592 and candidate number 019. With that finding by the police, the governor’s matter of having the basic qualification to contest election is settled beyond reasonable doubt. It would have been a different ball game if the police had confirmed that Aiyedatiwa forged his O/Level certificate or if WAEC had disowned the result tendered by Aiyedatiwa! That the governor claimed to have attended certain schools when he did not actually attend goes to no issue at it remains mistakes of facts. If the police had confirmed that the governor forged his O/Level result, it would have been over for him; but as it is at the moment, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. The Police Investigation Report has cleared the governor that his o/level certificate is legit, every other thing is a counterfeit.

The issue of whether he claimed to have attended Ikosi High School when the school had not been founded goes to no issue. Attendance of school is not part of the requirements: what the law requires is having O/Level certificate or its equivalent, which is the minimum requirement. If one has Primary School Leaving Certificate with 10 years experience as a worker using that primary school certificate, it is already equivalent to O/ level and he can use the result with the certificate of cognate experience to run for  public office.

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Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa was eminently qualified to run as deputy governor with Aketi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who was well informed in 2020, and the same Aiyedatiwa is also eminently qualified to run as governor in 2024 in his own merit.  All the ranting from opposition figures running paid adverts for Tinubu’s attention are signs that the Governor is on ground in Ondo State and he is the candidate to beat.  Aiyedatiwa shares similar destiny with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on this issue of mixup in certificates attained. No other Nigeria Leader has been troubled more that President Tinubu on issue of alleged ‘certificate forgery’. The matter has now been settled by Supreme Court.  Let the governor face his job and campaign while his traducers continue to rant about and be looking for a cheap means to getting the party ticket using blackmail. Eni Olorunda ko se e fi are we. There is something in that name Lucky, Orimisan, Aiyedatiwa.

• Babaleye, a legal practitioner, writes in from Abuja.