Election tribunal: WAEC official speaks on Abiodun’s certificate

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Election tribunal: WAEC official speaks on Abiodun’s certificate

The West African Examination Council, on Thursday, failed to confirm or deny the authenticity of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination of Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun.

An official of the examination body, Olufemi Olaleye, on Thursday, appeared before the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal where Abiodun’s victory in the March 18 governorship election is being challenged by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Ladi Adebutu.

Olaleye appeared on Thursday in response to a subpoena issued by the tribunal on WAEC to produce a copy of Abiodun’s 1978 WASSCE as attached to the form he filled with the Independent National Electoral Commission before the last election.

Adebutu, in his petition, alleged that Abiodun presented a forged WASSCE of June 1978 to INEC on July 25, 2022.

Adebutu further claimed that he had written a letter to the examination body, asking it to verify the authenticity of the certificate presented by Abiodun to INEC.

But when the WAEC official appeared on Thursday before the tribunal, he was neither with a copy of the certificate nor did he confirm whether or not the governor sat for the examination as claimed.

At the tribunal, the official was not sworn on oath and was also not allowed to enter the witness box.

When he was asked for a copy of the certificate, Olaleye said, “The requested certificate is not here with me.”

However, he was allowed to tender in evidence, a copy of the subpoena issued to the examination body.

While addressing the tribunal, Olaleye said he did not bring the requested certificate “because WAEC does not keep duplicates of collected WAEC certificates.”

According to him, to confirm whether or not somebody partakes in the council’s examination, “the original certificate given to the candidate will be forwarded to WAEC” for verification.

Olaleye was discharged immediately after he was recorded as having testified before the tribunal as PW73.

He declined to speak with journalists outside the courtroom, saying, “My lips are sealed.”