A Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court sitting in Bwari, Abuja has adjourned the certificate forgery suit against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in the ongoing Osun election, Ademola Adeleke “indefinitely.”
The certificate forgery suit was instituted against Adeleke by two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
In the suit, the complainant, Wahab Raheem and Adam Omosalewa, sought the disqualification of Adeleke from participating in the ongoing governorship election on the ground of not possessing the requisite educational qualification.
The APC chieftains had through their counsel, Akomolafe prayed the Justice Musa-led court to disqualify Adeleke from contesting the Osun State governorship election on the ground that he was not educated up to secondary school as he claimed in his nomination form, CF001.
Joined in the suit are the People’s Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
They also urged the court to stop PDP from nominating Adeleke as its candidate and INEC from recognizing Adeleke as a contestant in the election.
Although Justice Othman Musa in a ruling in an ex-parte motion on September 11, refused to stop Adeleke from parading himself as PDP candidate, he, however, ordered the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to produce in court on September 19, its ledger for the 1981 examination which Adeleke had claimed he participated.
In compliance with the court order, WAEC had on September 19, served the court and other parties in the suit with its 1981 exams ledger which confirmed Adeleke as one of its candidates in the exams with centre number: 19645 and candidate number 149 at Ede Muslim High School, prompting further hearing in the suit to be fixed for yesterday.
However, when the matter came up yesterday, Chief Nathaniel Oke SAN, announced his appearance for Adeleke and Emmanuel Enoidem for PDP, while the APC chieftains and their counsel who jointly fixed the hearing date for yesterday did not appear in court without any explanation.
Although counsel to Adeleke and PDP urged the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety due to the non-appearance of the plaintiffs and their counsel without any notification, Justice Musa, however, ruled that the matter be adjourned indefinitely and that parties would be contacted when a new date is fixed.
The judge adjourned the matter “sine die”.
The Council in an affidavit deposed to by one Osindeinde Henry Sunday Adewunmi and filed at the registry of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, confirmed that the PDP gubernatorial candidate sat for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination in May/June 1981.
In the four-paragraph affidavit filed in compliance with the order of Justice Othman Musa directing the examination body to supply the court with particulars of the said Adeleke in the 1981 examinations, WAEC confirmed that Adeleke sat for the examination at Ede Muslim High School situate at Yidi Road, Ede, Osun State with center number 19645.
The affidavit deposed to by Osindeinde, Deputy Registrar/Head of School Examination Department accompanied with the ledger containing the names and results of all the candidates from number 001 to 221 who sat for the secondary school certificate examination in the said school.
The certified true copy of the ledger, however, indicated that Senator Adeleke, who is currently representing Osun West senatorial district in the Senate, sat for only English Language in the examination.
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