Osun PDP ‘Concerned Members’ Raise Doubt Over Gov Aspirant Credentials

By Ayodele Oni

A Group within the Osun State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which calls itself “Concerned Members”, is working hard to have the Party’s most viable and popular candidate in the upcoming Governorship election stopped from participating.

This Group, which not a few people say is being sponsored by the opposition Party, and allegedly a PDP Governor, want Senator Ademola Adeleke disqualified. The Group, in a petition to the National Leadership of the PDP, says it doubts Adeleke’s educational certificates and name.

However, many people are crying foul, recalling that these allegations cropped  up in the last Governorship election which not a few people felt that Adeleke was cheated out of victory.

This came up just as the National Working Committee, (NWC) of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) succeeded in restoring peace in Ekiti state chapter of the party.

The Group called the attention of the highest decision making organ of the PDP  to some alleged discrepancies as regards Adeleke’s qualifications.

The petition dated  January, 21,  2022, submitted to the Osun state Governorship Appeal Committee, questioned the documents submitted by Adeleke.

The petition requested for Adeleke’s disqualification from participating in the forthcoming PDP gubernatorial primaries in Osun State on the grounds of alleged impersonation, discrepancies in the information and documents submitted to the party and INEC.

Adeleke has already been screened and cleared in Abuja by a Committee set up by the party.

A petition signed by one Akinloye Adeyi, claimed that it will be risky for the party to field Adeleke, bearing in mind what happened in the case of Bayelsa state.

“That aspirant should be put through and monitored, writing test by the screening test to ascertain their communication skills and proof of the veracity of their academic qualification.

“That there is no nexus between Annexures 1-15 as it relates to his name, date of birth, admission number, name of the Institution he graduated from and Party membership number.

“The names on the different documents presented by Senator Ademola Adeleke are different and brandishing certificates and other documents that do not carry his name and using affidavits to assert his ownership of the Certificates and documents (Annexure 1-14) did so in error and fraudulently.

“It is one thing for a person to bear multiple names. It is another, however, when it becomes a legal problem when the multiple names appear on different official documents and the effort to explain the contradictory names leads to more contradictions.

“That it may be uncanny for a person not to be sure of his name, date of birth, a number of O’ Level Subjects he sat for at WAEC, Admission number and name of the Institutions he graduated from, it becomes an issue of fraud when a man presents official documents bearing conflicting names.

“Mr. Chairman Sir and the distinguished members of this Appeal Committee, we have painstakingly weighed the bright chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to win the next governorship election in Osun State, after waiting for 12 years of ACN APC maladministration in Osun State.

“All the sectors of the society are waiting for PDP to rescue Osun State from APC Maladministration for 12 years.

“That the documents presented by Senator Ademola Adeleke from 2017 till date to the Party are marred with severe irregularities as enumerated above, which cannot be glossed over.

“Therefore, it is my humbly request that Senator Ademola Adeleke should be disqualified from participating in the forthcoming gubernatorial primary election in Osun State in the overall interest of the Party and the Osun State.”

Senator Adeleke, who was the PDP candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, has however fired back insisting that the petition against him lacks merit.

“I stand by my certificates anytime, any day, as names in the documents are those given to me by my parents.”

In 2021, Adeleke, I’m addition to his other certificates, graduated with a degree in Law in the United States of America.