Ahead of the April 20 governorship primary in Ondo State, one of the aspirants, Hon. Olugbenga Edema has said that it would be suicidal for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to field the Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for the November 16 Governroship election.
TheHintsNews reports that the former governorship candidate of the APC in the 2019 Bayelsa gubernatorial election, David Lyon was declared winner of the election, but a day to his swearing-in as governor, his election was invalidated by the Supreme Court.
The Apex court ruled that his running mate Degi Eremienyo Wangagra submitted a fake certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while ordering that Douye Diri of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who came second in the election be issued a certificate of return, which would make him governor-elect.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja, the former member of Ondo state House of Assembly, who had also petitioned the National Legal Adviser of APC called for thorough vetting of Aiyedatiwa’s certificate.
and wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Credentials/document vetting committee of the APC which the party set up, to critically look at the credentials which Ayedatiwa submitted to it.
He said the reasons for his information to the committee was not borne out of any animosity or ill-will towards Ayedatiwa or any person but to save the party and the entire APC members in Ondo State from the perdition that befell members in Bayelsa State from which they are yet to recover.
Edema noted that It is a fact that the issue surrounding the WAEC number 15592/019 submitted by Ayedatiwa to INEC in the year 2020 when he contested alongside former Governor, Arakunrin Akeredolu had been generating serious controversies in the last two months.
He explained that the certificate was said to have been investigated by the Police and a police report signed by DCP Tahir Usman, indicting Ayedatiwa of certificate forgery, misrepresentation and perjury was issued to that effect.
The governorship hopeful said the grounds for the indictment are: That the authority of Ikosi High School, Ketu, Lagos State admitted to the police that the school was established in the year 1980.
“That the school was accredited to present candidates to sit for WAEC May/June examinations for the first time in the year 1985.
“That Hon. Lucky Ayedatiwa did not at anytime attend Ikosi High school, Ketu, Lagos State as his name did not appear in any of the school’s registers from 1980-1985.”
Against this background, Edema said the leadership of the party knowing that if due diligence was not followed, any lapse in the screening process would spell doom for the party as the issue of fake certificates is both a pre-election and post-election matter.
He said considering the popularity of the APC in Ondo State, if the gubernatorial election is conducted today or on November 16,2024, the party will defeat PDP or any other opposition parties that might feature candidates.
Edema added: “Therefore, it would be suicidal to field a candidate that carries so much baggage and later lose to the opposition party through the Court. Infact, we have it on good authority, that the PDP aspirants, knowing these facts, are praying fervently that the APC fields Hon. Lucky Ayedatiwa as its candidate in the forth-coming Ondo State gubernatorial election.
“It is worthy of note, that a person or political party that wins the 2024 gubernatorial election in Ondo State will still be in government when the 2027 general elections will hold.
“We cannot therefore keep our fingers crossed and allow our God-given victory to slip away through the mistake or impunity of one man. No person is above the party. As a responsible member and leader of the party in Ondo State, it will be a great disservice, if I do not lay this information before the leadership of the party.”