The University of Ibadan (UI), the alma mater of Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, Wednesday laid to rest the controversy over the governor’s certificate with a declaration that he attended the nation’s premier university and graduated in 1979.
UI, in a statement by its Registrar, Mrs Olubunmi O Faluyi, said Obaseki gained admission into the university in 1976 to study Classics and graduated in 1979 with a Second Class Honours, Lower Division.
In his reaction to the authentication of his certificate, Obaseki said posterity would always vindicate the just.
The governor, who is seeking a second term on APC platform, has been severally accused of possessing dodgy credentials.
Party chieftains and others have been raising queries over his credentials.
Among the inconsistencies cited in Obaseki’s certificates are that his O/Level results showed that he has three credits but despite that he spent only three years to allegedly bagged a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classics from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, in 1976, without an A/Level result.
A/Levels are required for a three-year direct entry course in Nigerian universities.
The queries over Obaseki’s credentials is fallout of the crisis in the state chapter of the party that has pitted the governor against the APC National Chairman, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole.
The party yesterday screened Obaseki and four others ahead of the primary slated for June 22.
The UI, in the statement, said the governor’s records of his admission and graduation were intact in its archives of the university.
However, notwithstanding the university’s clarification, trouble seems not yet over for the governor as some party chiefs said he still had query to answer on the sworn affidavit he submitted to INEC through the party, claiming he graduated from UI in 1976 as against 1979 which UI confirmed yesterday was his year of graduation.
In the affidavit, Obaseki had allegedly claimed he entered UI in 1973 and graduated in 1976.
Party sources told THISDAY that the sworn affidavit was still an issue that only the governor can address as it borders on perjury.
In a petition to the Chairman of the Screening Committee for Edo State Gubernatorial Election, some concerned members of APC in the state, Mr. Edobor Williams, Ugbesia Godwin and Amedu Anakhu, had said the Abuja High Court, in a response to a request by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which had suspected foul play over the documents submitted to INEC in 2016, had in a letter to PDP, dated September 28, 2016, “clearly established the element of false affidavit on the part of Godwin Obaseki, which makes him disqualified.”
But some legal analysts have said until the claim of perjury is properly established against the governor, and to the satisfaction of the court, it would not stop his second term bid.
They added that the onus is on the accusers to prove the alleged inconsistencies in Obaseki’s credentials.
APC Screens Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu, Three Others
The APC yesterday commenced the screening of Edo State governorship aspirants ahead of thevJune 22 primary.
Apart from Obaseki, others screened at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja were Mr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, Hon. Osaro Obazee, Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Dr. Pius Odubu.
The seven-man screening committee commenced work at about 1 p.m.
Obaseki had earlier arrived at the party national secretariat at about 1:10 p.m, but left about five minutes later, after making an appearance at the conference room, venue of the screening.
He returned at about 8pm and was grilled for over two hours.
Source: THISDAY
