The Certificate forgery suit instituted by two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke has been adjourned indefinitely by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Bwari, Abuja.
The court action seeking disqualification of Adeleke from participating in the governorship election on the ground of not possessing requisite educational qualification was adjourned sine die by Justice Othman Musa following the non-appearance in court of the plaintiffs as well as their counsel, Mr. Bankole Joel Akomolafe.
The APC chieftains, Wahab Raheem and Adam Omosalewa Habeeb had through their counsel, Akomolafe instituted the suit in Abuja, praying Justice Musa to disqualify Adeleke from contesting the Osun State governorship election on the ground that he was educated up to secondary school as he claimed in his nomination form, CF001.
Apart from Adeleke, others joined as defendants are the People’s Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
They urged the court to prohibit PDP from nominating Adeleke as its candidate and INEC from recognizing Adeleke as a contestant in the election.
Although Justice 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 on Tuesday, 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 wound be contacted when a new date is fixed.
WAEC had last Wednesday cleared Adeleke, of certificate forgery brought against him by the two chieftains of the APC.
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.
WAEC had last Wednesday cleared Adeleke, of certificate forgery brought against him by the two chieftains of the APC.
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.