….Stop chasing shadow —Aiyedatiwa.
Amid the unfolding controversy surrounding the alleged certificate irregularities involving Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, a lawyer, Oladotun Hassan, has petitioned President Bola Tinubu over a purported conspiracy to distort the police report regarding the certificate issue.
Hassan, who cautioned against the alleged ploy to manipulate the police report in the petition to Tinubu, urged the President to look into the development, with a plea that a thorough investigation into the matter be carried out.
The lawyer who initiated the police probe into the alleged discrepancies in the academic credentials of Aiyedatiwa, while maintaining his stand on the authenticity of the police report, emphasised that the police authority had given a Deputy Commissioner of Police the green light to investigate the academic records of the governor, after which the report was submitted.
On April 5, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disowned the report, stressing that Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tahir Usman, who supervised the probe, lacked the authority to conduct such an investigation.
With the lawyer infuriated over the development, he disclosed that a top police officer was allegedly behind the move to obstruct the pursuit of justice and to distort facts in the official police report gotten from the police through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
He said: “We are constrained to bring to your attention the unwholesome act of D.I.G. Sylvester Alabi on an issue bordering on the certificate forgery, perjury, and misrepresentation of facts brought to your exalted office on June 2, 2023, and after a thorough investigation for which a police report was given to us upon request under the Freedom of Information Act, sometime on February 15, 2024.
“Today, the 5th of April, 2024, we were inundated with a news report with ref. no.CZ. 5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL6/148 dated April 5, 2024, issued by ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, on behalf of the Nigeria Police Force.
“Sir, the true position is that our law firm, by petition, invited the police to investigate a case of certificate forgery, perjury, and criminal misrepresentation against Mr. Lucky Ayedatiwa, which the petition graciously approved for investigation.
“Based upon the said approval, police operatives, led by DCP Tahir Usman, swung into action and diligently investigated the maiter and found it a fact that the allegations are true. We thereafter made a formal request based on the spirit and letters of the Freedom of Information Act to the DIG, FCIB, Abuja, which request was granted, and a copy of the police report was issued to us. Let me use this medium to salute the courage and dexterity of the officers who carried out the investigation; we recommend that they ought to and should be commended.
“Based on the Police Report, a letter was sent to the National Leadership of the All Progressives Congress and the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the leader of the party, to act on the report so that the party would avoid the pitfalls of what happened in the Bayelsa State chapter of the party in the governorship election.
“It is instructive to note that since the information was made public to the leadership of the APC, Mr. Lucky Ayedatiwa, instead of coming out to explain how he sat and got a WAEC O level certificate in 1982 from a school that was founded in 1980 and admitted to the police that it was accredited to conduct its first WAEC May/June examinations in 1985, has been busy trying to compromise the integrity of the Nigeria Police Force in order to prejudice the outcome of the report of the screening committee of the APC.
The petition further read, “In concert with him in the nefarious act of trying to compromise the integrity of the Nigeria Police Force is the DIG Sylvester Alabi, who we are told have been intimidating and harassing gallant and diligent officers who carried out a thorough investigation into the matter to the extent of issuing them queries.
“We have been reliably informed that D.I.G. Sylvester Alabi has confiscated the file and all other documents pertaining to the investigation with a view to tampering with the earlier findings by cooking up a new police report favourable to Mr. Lucky Ayedatiwa.
“This act of the D.I.G. Sylvester Alabi, to say the least, is most reprehensible and has given us the reasonable belief that DIG Sylvester Alabi’s action is borne out of some financial inducement, which we urge you to investigate without delay, sir.
“DIG Sylvester Alabi has since confirmed our apprehensions by causing the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, to issue this statement.
“We therefore, by this letter, urge you to without delay set up machinery to investigate this unwholesome act of the DIG Sylvester Alabi with a view to halting the harassment and intimidation of the gallant officers that, at the risks of their lives, conducted a thorough investigation in the matter of which the Nigeria Police Force should be proud.
“We are also requesting, sir, that the case file from DIG Sylvester Alabi be retrieved before he does any damage to the case file and, by extension, to the integrity and image of the Nigeria Police Force under your watch.
“We also invite the IGP to order a thorough investigation into these unwholesome acts of DIG Sylvester Alabi and his cohorts with a view to unravelling the facts surrounding the issuance of the press statement made by my ACP, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on behalf of the police.”
RENOWN CONSTITUTIONAL LAWYER, EBUN OLU —ADEGBORUWA, SAN, VOUCHES FOR GOVERNOR AIYEDATIWA WASCE’s CREDIBILITY
….say allegations of perjury, certificate forgeries are baseless
In the face of recent unfounded allegations, esteemed constitutional lawyer and activist, Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, SAN, has emphatically affirmed the impeccable certificate credibility and qualifications of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to contest in November 16th 2024 Governorship election in Ondo State.
Addressing concerns surrounding purported certificate forgery, Mr. Olu-Adegboruwa unequivocally stated that Governor Aiyedatiwa possesses authentic academic credentials, duly obtained from the West Africa Regional Examinations Body, WAEC.
With an illustrious legal career spanning decades, Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, SAN, is renowned for his unwavering commitment to justice and integrity. His endorsement of Governor Aiyedatiwa’s qualifications underscores the confidence in the Governor’s leadership capabilities and ethical conduct.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s journey to leadership is marked by a distinguished record of service and dedication to the people of Ondo State. Having successfully navigated the rigorous academic requirements, including sitting for the May/June 1982 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at Ikosi High School, Governor Aiyedatiwa has demonstrated his academic prowess and commitment to excellence.
In light of the recent smear campaign orchestrated by faceless individuals, Mr. Olu-Adegboruwa urges the public to dismiss these malicious falsehoods and focus on the Governor’s remarkable achievements and vision for Ondo State.
He emphasizes that Governor Aiyedatiwa’s transparent leadership style and unwavering dedication to the welfare of the people will continue to drive progress and prosperity across the state.
In his own words Ebun Adegboruwa quipped that “ooking forward to the upcoming primary and general elections, it is evident that Governor Aiyedatiwa possesses the unwavering support of the people”.
He added that with his proven track record of transformative leadership and unwavering integrity, Governor Aiyedatiwa is poised to emerge victorious not only in the APC primary election but also in the general election slated for November 2024.
As we forge ahead towards a brighter future for Ondo State, let us rally behind Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, a leader of unparalleled integrity and vision.
YOU’RE CHASING SHADOW —Aiyedatiwa replies
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo state has come out for the first time to speak on the controversy trailing his certificates and academic records, assuring his teeming supporters to ignore rumours peddled on the social media about his credentials.
This is just as the130 crown Obas in the state have thrown their weight behind Governor Aiyedatiwa as their preferred candidate ahead of the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary election in Ondo State
Aiyedatiwa said those spreading the rumour on his academic records are chasing shadow.
The governor while addressing traditional rulers and government appointees at governor’s office in Akure asked his supporters to relax and not bother themselves about the social media rumors
Governor Aiyedatiwa who took time to narrate his educational journey from primary school to tertiary institution denounced all false accusations.
He called on the monarchs and party loyalists to ignore over ambitious politicians and individuals who flooded social media accusing him of not being qualified and parading fake certificates.
Governor Aiyedatiwa charged his supporters and party faithfuls to remain focused in their support for his administration and his target of clinching the APC governorship ticket at the primary election on April 20th ,2024 and eventually winning in the November 16th gubernatorial election.
