Osun poll: WAEC tenders Adeleke’s result in court

[photo] Osun poll: WAEC tenders Adeleke’s result in court

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has confirmed that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, sat for its examination in 1981.

WAEC’s confirmation is in its response to an order made on September 11 by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Bwari, Abuja, directing the examination body to produce evidence of Adeleke’s result.

Justice Othman Musa had, on September 11, while ruling on an ex-parte motion by the plaintiffs, ordered WAEC, to among others, provide evidence that Adeleke sat for its May/June 1981 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.

Justice Musa also ordered Adeleke to show cause why he should not grant other reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, including an order disqualifying him as a candidate of the PDP for the election.

The order was on a suit marked: FCT/HC/BW/CV/122/2018 filed by Wahab Adekunle Raheem and Adam Omosalewa Habeeb.

In its affidavit sworn to by Henry Sunday Adewunmi Osindeinde, a Deputy Registrar/Head of School Examination Department, WAEC said Adeleke sat for the May/June 1981 examination at Ede Muslim High School, Yidi Road, Ede, with Centre Number: 19645 and Candidate Number 149.

WAEC attached a copy of the results of all 122 candidates who sat for the May/June 1981 in Ede Muslim High School.

In the attached results, Adeleke is listed as number 149. He sat for only English Language in which he scored F9.

He was said not to have sat for Literature in English, Islamic Knowledge, Geography, Economics, Mathematics and Biology.

Osindeinde said in the affidavit: “By virtue of my position as Deputy Registrar/Head of School Examination Department, I have read the enrolled order of this court (specifically orders iv, v and vi) dated 11th September 2018 directing and compelling the WAEC to depose to an affidavit confirming or denying the said orders contained in the said enrolled order and referred to in this paragraph and I wish to state as follows:

”The said candidate named in this suit known as Adeleke Ademola, with Centre Number 19645 and Candidate Number 149, indeed sat for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in May/June 1981 conducted by the council at Ede Muslim High School situate at P. O. Box 6 Yidi Road, Ede, State of Osun.

”The copy of the result listing referred to by the court order as the ledger containing the results of all the candidates (001 – 221) who sat for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in the said school is hereby certified, attached and marked: Exhibit WA1.”

Adeleke is yet to file any response to the case and complied with the court’s order asking him to show cause why the plaintiffs’ reliefs should not be granted.

It is the plaintiffs’ contention that Adeleke’s claim that he sat for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in May/June 1981 could not be true because Secondary School Certificate Examination had not been introduced then.

What was in existence then was the West African School Certificate examination.

The court that had slated Wednesday for further proceedings in the case, did not sit because the judge was away on an official assignment.

The court’s Registrar, with the agreement of lawyers in the case Bankole Komolafe (for the plaintiffs) and Nathaniel Oke, SAN (for Adeleke), adjourned the hearing till September 25.

Also yesterday, the police Adeleke to report to the Special Investigation Panel at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

Also invited are: Mr. Sikiru Adeleke, Alhaji Aregbesola Mufutau, the head teacher of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State; Mr Gbadamosi Thomas Ojo, the school official responsible for the registration of candidates for the National Examinations Council (NECO) and Mr Dare Olutope, the teacher the police accused of aiding the alleged crime.

But President Muhammadu Buhari ordered Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris to stop the invitation to Adeleke.

A Presidency source, who spoke in confidence, told reporters that the President ordered that Adeleke should not be invited until after Saturday’s election.

Force Headquarters spokesman Jimoh Moshood, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), had invited Adeleke and four others through a statement.

The police invitation is premised on alleged examination malpractice, criminal conspiracy, impersonation, breach of duty as well as aiding and abetting among the five persons.

The police, yesterday, also filed charges of examination malpractice, criminal conspiracy, impersonation, breach of duty, aiding and abetting against Adeleke and others at the Federal High Court, Abuja, under the Examination Malpractice Act, CAP E15, 2004.

The senator and the others are expected to report at the Force Headquarters for immediate arraignment in court.

On police findings while investigating Adeleke, the statement said: “Investigation revealed the following prima facie and culpability facts against Senator Adeola Adeleke and four others.

“Senator Adeleke made cautionary statement and admitted that he registered for the 2017 NECO examinations as an internal student in the said school and did not sit for the examination but have a result from NECO with seven Credits and one Pass, a copy of which was obtained from NECO by the police.

“The Ojo/Aro 2017 NECO, SSCE school photo album (school’s copy) with Senator Adeleke and Sikiru Adeleke photographs in school uniform in the said album.

“Senator Adeleke, in the NECO 2017 result obtained by the police claimed that he was born on June 12, 1997 but in his statement to the Police, Senator Ademola Adeleke wrote May 13, 1960 as his date of birth.

“The photographs of Senator Adeleke and Sikiru Adeleke appearing side by side in the photo album have no NECO stamps on them.

“Senator Adeleke and four others were arrested, investigated, granted bail and being charged to court.”

On the charges against the suspects, the police said: “Charges of examination malpractice, criminal conspiracy, impersonation, breach of duty, aiding and abetting against Senator Adeleke and Mr Sikiru Adeleke, Alhaji Mufutau, Mr Ojo and Mr Olutope have been filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, under the Examination Malpractice Act, CAP E15, 2004 on September 19.

“Senator Adeleke and four others are hereby advised in their own interest to report to the Special Investigation Panel, Force Headquarters, Abuja, immediately for arraignment in court.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday cautioned the police to desist from what it called a witch-hunt of Senator Adeleke.

Accusing the police of acting the script of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against Adeleke and the PDP, the main opposition deplored the latest police action on the politician.

A statement by its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan described the police allegation against Adeleke as laughable, horrible, nauseating and displeasing.

The party faulted the sudden realisation by the police that Adeleke was involved in NECO examination malpractice in 2017 as well as his subsequent invitation.

The statement said: “While the PDP is in no way against any legitimate effort by any security agency in the discharge of its duties, we totally reject this unrelenting attempt to use trumped-up charges to take down our candidate, simply because the All Progressives Congress (APC) has realised that he is coasting to victory.

“Perhaps, the police need to be educated that the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has already confirmed that Senator Adeleke wrote his WAEC examination in 1981, thus ending the earlier unnecessary controversy about his WAEC status…”

“Moreover, this is the same police that have not been able to invite the disgraced erstwhile minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, who confessed to having a forged NYSC Exemption Certificate or the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution and Chairman of the Special Investigative Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, whose certificate, WAEC openly told the National Assembly, was fake.

“More so, there are several leaders in APC, whose certificates have been questioned and which the police have not considered it needful to conduct the littlest investigation.”

The PDP charged the Inspector General of Police to protect the integrity of the Force by immediately calling his officers hounding Senator Adeleke to order.

“The issue of who becomes the governor of Osun State resides with the people of Osun and nothing should be allowed to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election,” the PDP added.