Court fixes June 10 for trial over Kwara Gov-elect alleged certificate scam

BY: Justice Godfry

An Ilorin High Court, presided over by Justice Adenike Akinpelu, has fixed June 10, 2019, for mention in a suit accusing Kwara State governor-elect, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of submitting forged WASCE certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest the March 9, 2019, gubernatorial election in the state.

One Adekunle, Oluwafemi Abraham, a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Apado ward in the Ilorin East Local Government Area of the state had instituted the case with Suit No KWS /73/2019 against AbdulRazaq, contesting the authenticity of his WASCE certificate.

The claimant in his statement on oath said that, “while examining the personal particulars of the defendant, he was curious about the purported West African Examination Council (WAEC) school certificate No. SC180683 purportedly dated June 1976 of the defendant particularly, the way the defendant’s name is written as” RASAQ A R” which from my personal experience, the West African Examination Council( WAEC) as a standard examination body in West Africa do not normally abbreviate names on the school certificates issued by it.

“That the way and manner the defendant’s name appears on his purported West African Examination Council (WAEC) School certificate No. SC180683 dated June, 1976, raised my suspicion that the said West African Examination Council (WAEC) No. SC180683 dated June, 1976 could not have been issued by West African Examination Council (WAEC) and I reported my suspicion to my political party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which promised to look into my complaint of my suspicion.

“That I also know as a fact that the defendant did not sit for West African Examination Council School Certificate and was therefore not issued with the purported West African Examination Council (WAEC) School Certificate No. SC180683 dated June, 1976, submitted to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the defendant.”

The claimant in his statement of claim contended that “the West African Examination Council (WAEC) School Certificate No. SC180683 allegedly issued to the defendant by West African Examination Council (WAEC) in June 1976 and submitted to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a false document. The claimant shall apply to this honourable court to issue a subpoena on West African Examination Council (WAEC) to produce the original of the said certificate.”

He further contended that the documents submitted by AbdulRazaq as his educational qualification was not issued by WAEC and thus, the defendant was not qualified to contest for the office of Governor of Kwara State.

Abraham further urged the court to declare that the APC candidate lied on oath and submitted forged documents to contest the gubernatorial elections.

Speaking with journalists after the court session, the claimant’s lawyer, Oludele Lawrence Ola, said that the defendant lawyer was yet to file a defence but only filed a memorandum of appearance.

According to him, the claim of his client was that the defendant had given false information about his certificate.

He noted that the claim that the defendant got his WAEC certificate in 1976 was false according to his client.

Also speaking, the defendant’s lawyer, Lawal Jimoh, who said that his client was served the notice of the suit on May 2, 2019, added that appearance was filed immediately.

He revealed that his client, the governor-elect, got his WAEC result from Government College, Kaduna with full evidence of WAEC result obtained from the school in 1976.

The Sun