“INEC Unveils Ondo Governorship Candidates: Controversy Trails Qualifications”
The recent release by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the updated final list of candidates for the Ondo State Governorship Election slated for the 16th of November 2024 is already generating feverish discourse in political circles in the state.
The release published on the Commission ‘s website showed that a total of 18 political parties will participate in the election with the name, age, academic records of the candidates.
The list showed the parties in alphabetical order with APC in number 6 which candidate and the incumbent Governor is 59 years old with Primary school leaving certificate, GCE and NCE while his running mate and current Deputy Governor Adelami Olayide Owolabi, 66 parades WASC/GCE/Bsc Business Administration.
The Labour Party (number 10) has Ebiseni Olusola Nehemiah, lawyer, former Commissioner for Environment and the Secretary General of the Afenifere, apex Yoruba Socio-political Organisation aged 64 as Governorship candidate, with LLB while his running mate, former Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development Adedayo Ezekiel Awude, 51 has Msc. The Commission however revealed that the list was in compliance with court order.
Another Party which candidates were published in deference to order of Court is NRM (number 12).
The Peoples Democratic Party (number 13) has a former Deputy Governor, Ajayi Alfred Agboola 55 years old with WASCE and his running mate Akingbaso Festus Olanrewaju 53 present member representing Idanre/Ifedore Federal Constituency with BSC Public Administration.
For the Labour Party it appears that the controversy over its candidates has been resolved with the publication of the names of Chief Olusola Ebiseni and Adedayo Awude as Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates respectively. Awude was sighted at the Ondo State headquarters of INEC on Monday where parties were invited to receive the list of registered voters for the election.
In PDP while his candidate and a former Deputy Governor was known to have presented evidence of being a lawyer in previous elections, he decided this time to present the minimum constitutional qualification of school certificate.
However, the said WASCE certificate has been a source of controversy even in the courts to no avail. The certificate shows that the candidate, born on 8th December 1980, was a student of Mobolorunduro High School Okitipupa who sat for the examination in May/June 2004 when Agboola Ajayi was the incumbent Chairman of Ese-Odo Local Government. By simple arithmetic, the boy whose date of birth is boldly written on the certificate would by now be 44 years old and not Agboola Ajayi who was in 2004 a Local Government Chairman and now 55 years of age.
Ajayi who by sworn affidavit showed that he was born 24th September 1968 blamed WAEC for the alleged error on the certificate through several inherently contradictory and irreconcilable affidavits which have not helped him.
The last action in court against Ajayi was by Senator Tofowomo, his rival in the 2023 South Senatorial District PDP Primary. The case was struck out for being filed out of time. The matter is still open to being considered on its merit even at an Election Petition Tribunal which is a reason for concern for Agboola Ajayi and his party.
Not oblivious of the noise over his claim of having a Masters degree after NCE, Governor Aiyedatiwa has now advisedly limited his academic claims to WAEC GCE and NCE. During the APC primary in April, tongues had wagged on the possibility of Aiyedatiwa acquiring MBA with NCE and how he claimed to have sat for the May/June 1982 WASCE at Ikosi High School which was established by the Jakande administration only in 1981, the previous year.
Following a petition written by a legal practitioner Oladotun Hassan, to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun on the governor’s academic certificates and after his screening by the Party Aiyedatiwa said, “screening is one of the processes aspirants have to go through. Mine has just been done this morning. At the end of the day, I have been cleared, especially on the issue that has to do with my certificate. My certificates are genuine and authentic. I think it is a kind of mischief by some aspirants who see me as the man to beat and had to look for a way to discredit my person. Today, it has been verified and put to rest.” Going down memory lane, Aiyedatiwa said:
“As a student of history, you will recall that in 1989 when Lateef Jakande became governor of Lagos State private schools were taken over. Schools were built for the communities. And Ikosi High School that I attended is one of those schools built by the government of Lateef Jakande.
“So, it is on record that the school was established in 1980 and at that time, I was already in Form three in a private school, New Nation, in Ikosi while Royal Comprehensive High School is in Ajegunle Ikorodu, very close to Ketu,”.
The dust however appears not settled as the issue of Aiyedatiwa credentials still resonates in political discourse even as attention is even being now focused on alleged inconsistencies in the academic certificates of the Deputy as details unfold.