Lukman Olabiyi
A registered voter from Ward 7 in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State, Mr. Ibraheem Khalid, has dragged the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ganiyu Ayobami Olaoluwa to the Federal High Court in Osogbo over alleged falsification of O’ level result.
Oluoluwa and INEC are first and second respondents in the suit respectively
The plaintiff is praying the court to disqualify Olaoluwa, from contesting the Osun Central senatorial election.
Khalid also wants a court’s declaration that the information as contained in the resume attached to the affidavit in support of the particulars of candidates of the first defendant and submitted by the first defendant to the second defendant that the first defendant attended and/or obtained school certificate from Ikosi High School between 1982-1988 was false.
Khalid alleged that Olaoluwa neither attended nor obtained a school certificate from Ikosi High School as deposed to by the PDP’s candidate in the electoral forms submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In the affidavit in support of the suit, the plaintiff averred that Mr. Olaoluwa’s form (affidavit in support of personal particulars of the person seeking elective office) “was pasted by the INEC alongside that of other candidates at INEC offices in Osun Central senatorial district, with an attached resume.
He averred further that “upon reasonable suspicion that his claim in the affidavit in support of personal particulars of persons seeking elective office and the attached resume were false, the plaintiff caused an inquiry to be made from the relevant school and the Tutor General/Permanent Secretary in charge of the Education District where the said Ikosi High School is located as to the verification.”
He said that the claim of studentship and qualification of the 1st defendant.
Khalid stated that in response to the inquiry by a letter reference No. EDU/DIST. II/SA/020/XVII/088 dated 16th January 2019 issued by the office of Tutor General/Permanent Secretary, Education District II, Ministry of Education, Lagos State, was false. “The summary of the finding was that: ‘from the records available in the school, the individual in question, Ganiyu Ayobami Olaoluwa, was not sighted in the school’s register, most especially between the years 1982-1988 as claimed by him.’”
As a result, the plaintiff approached the court seeking the following reliefs:
“A declaration that the information as contained in the affidavit in support of particulars of candidates of the first defendant deposed to by the first defendant and submitted by the first defendant to the second defendant that the first defendant attended and/or obtained School Certificate from Ikosi High School between 1982-1988 is false.”
No date has been fixed for hearing and the defendant is yet to file a response.