Plaintiffs tell court how Senator Adeleke presented forged school testimonials to INEC

Senator Ademola Adeleke

The plaintiffs in the suit filed against the eligibility of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun State, on Monday told Justice David Oladimeji that the testimonials and statement of result submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission and the court by the defendants were forged documents.

The plaintiffs, Rasheed Olabayo and Oluwasegun Idowu had informed the court of the possibility of an out-of-court settlement of the case at the last sitting of the court but an agreement on this could not be reached as the court continued with the hearing of the case.

The counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr. Olufemi Ayandokun, had in his response to the notice of preliminary objection filed by the defendants told the court that his clients had filed a nine-paragraph affidavit dated August 3, 2018, and attached two exhibits marked G.E 1 and G.E 2.

Ayandokun said, ”We stated in our affidavit that the documents he presented to the INEC and the court are forged documents. In exhibit 2 marked G.E 2 that is the purported school testimonial of Ede Muslim Grammar School, we want your lordship to take notice of the date on the testimonial, July 20, 1988. We also want the court to take note that Osun State was created in 1991.

“The testimonial was issued on 20th July 1988 and it had on it Ede Muslim Grammar School, Osun State. We urge the court to take note that Osun State was not in existence as at the time the purported testimonial was issued.

“The testimonial stated that the first defendant completed the SSCE when that examination had not started in 1981. The 6-3-3-4 was yet to be adopted as at 1981. There was no SSCE as at 1981 when he purportedly sat for the examination. The document is a lie.

“Another testimonial and statement of the result were issued by another school, Ede Muslim High School to the same person dated 24 July 2018. That was after he had been screened by the party.”

Earlier, the counsel for Adeleke; the PDP as well as Prince Uche Secondus, who is the National Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Edmond Biri-Omoni, had prayed the court to dismiss the originating summons and interlocutory injunction.

He informed the court that the plaintiffs admitted in their affidavit that the first defendant ( Adeleke) was educated up to secondary school level which was the provision of Section 177 (d).