Ogun Tribunal:WAEC Fails to Tender Abiodun’s Certificate

On Thursday, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) declined to verify or deny the authenticity of Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun’s certificate.

An official from the examination body, Olufemi Olaleye, appeared before the tribunal in Isabo, Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, but did not submit a copy of Abiodun’s certificate.

The tribunal had previously issued a subpoena to WAEC, requesting the production of Abiodun’s 1978 WAEC certificate as attached to the form he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission before the last election.

The People’s Democratic Party and its candidate, Ladi Adebutu, who contested in the March 18 governorship election in the state, filed a case against Abiodun and his party, the All Progressives Congress, alleging electoral fraud.

The PDP and Adebutu accused Abiodun of forging his WAEC certificate. In his petition, Adebutu claimed that on July 25, 2022, Abiodun presented a forged WAEC certificate from June 1978 to the INEC, the 1st Respondent.
Furthermore, Adebutu stated that he had written a letter to the examination body, requesting verification of the certificate presented by Abiodun.

However, during the appearance of the WAEC official on Thursday, the official neither presented a copy of the certificate nor confirmed whether the governor had indeed taken the claimed examination.

The official, not under oath, was unable to enter the witness box at the tribunal. When asked for the certificate, Olaleye replied that he did not have it with him. However, he was permitted to present a copy of the subpoena issued to the examination body as evidence.

Addressing the tribunal, Olaleye explained that WAEC does not retain duplicate copies of collected certificates. To verify whether someone participated in their examination, WAEC requires the original certificate issued to the candidate to be submitted for confirmation.

Following his testimony recorded as PW73, Olaleye was immediately discharged from the witness stand.
Efforts to engage Olaleye outside the courtroom and seek further explanations for WAEC’s failure to produce the requested certificate were unsuccessful, as he simply replied, “My lips are sealed.”