Senator Ademola Adeleke has lashed out at the spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, Festus Keyamo (SAN) for saying that he presented forged school results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the last governorship election in Osun State, saying the lawyer acted out of ignorance.
Adeleke, in a statement issued by Niyi Owolade for the Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation, said he did not, at any time forge any certificate for election or any other purpose.
According to the statement, Adeleke’s attention had been drawn to a tweet credited to Keyamo that he forged a statement of result he presented for election and that WAEC did not attest his certificate.
“We suspect that Mr. Keyamo must have been misinformed or failed to get his facts correctly.
“For his information and that of the general public, both WAEC and the school principal of Ede Muslim High school, Ede attested Senator Adeleke’s result through sworn affidavits before FCT High Court, Bwari.
“We advise the President’s campaign spokesman to get his facts straight before making public statements,” the statement said.
The statement added that being a Senior Advocate of Nigeria demanded that level of responsibility and that Adeleke did not at any time forge any certificate for this election or for any other purpose.
It said the principal of Ede Muslim High School, Ede and WAEC were summoned by the court in a case filed by the APC against Adeleke, and that the principal, through a sworn affidavit attested the statement of results presented by the PDP candidate for his election and that a Deputy Registrar of WAEC did the same through an affidavit of evidence.
The statement said the two affidavits were widely published in the newspapers and were available in court papers and that WAEC not only attested to Adeleke’s result, but that the school authority, through the principal also did.
“At this stage in Osun election cases, all the facts are in public domain and nothing can be spinned again. First, the public is fully aware that both WAEC and the Principal attested to Adeleke’s qualification.
“Secondly, by the combined effect of Sections 177 and 318 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, Senator Ademola Adeleke is qualified to contest for the office of a State Governor.
“Thirdly and much more critical, WAEC and the principal affirmed in their respective affidavits that there was no forgery as results submitted by Adeleke tallied with their records,” the statement said.