JUST IN: Certificate forgery suit against Kwara Gov-elect adjourned till May 14

A Kwara State High Court presided by Justice Adenike Akinpelu
has adjourned till May 14 the case instituted against Kwara State
governor-elect, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, concerning the authenticity
of his West African Examination Council certificate.

The adjournment was to effect service on the defendant, teh
court ruled.

The suit with number KWS /73/2019 was instituted against the
governor-elect by one Adekunle Oluwafemi Abraham, a member of the
Peoples Democratic Party in Apado Ward in Ilorin East Local
Government Area of Kwara State.

The claimant in his statement on oath said: “While examining the
personal particulars of the defendant, he was curious about the
purported West African Examination Council school certificate No.
SC180683 purportedly dated June, 1976 of the defendant
particularly, the way the defendant’s name is written as ‘RASAQ A
R’ which, from my personal experience, the West African Examination
Council as a standard examination body in West Africa does not
normally abbreviate names on the school certificates issued by
it.

“That the way and manner the defendant’s name appears on his
purported West African Examination Council school certificate No.
SC180683 dated June, 1976 raised my suspicion that the said West
African Examination Council No. SC180683 dated June, 1976 could not
have been issued by West African Examination Council and I reported
my suspicion to my political party, Peoples Democratic Party, which
promised to look into my complaint of my suspicion.

“That I also know as a fact that the defendant did not sit for
West African Examination Council School Certificate and was
therefore not issued with the purported West African Examination
Council School Certificate No. SC180683 dated June, 1976 submitted
to Independent National Electoral Commission by the defendant.

“The claimant in his statement of claim contended that “the West
African Examination Council School Certificate No. SC180683
allegedly issued to the defendant by WAEC in June 1976 and
submitted to INEC was a false document.

“The claimant shall apply to this honorable court to issue
subpoena on West African Examination Council to produce the
original of the said certificate.

“He further contended that the documents submitted by Abdulrazaq
as his educational qualification was not issued by WAEC and thus,
the defendant was not qualified to contest the office of Governor
of Kwara State whose election will hold on Saturday.”

Abraham further urged the court to declare that the APC
candidate lied on oath, submitted forged documents and stood
disqualified from contesting the gubernatorial elections.

The plaintiff attached to the process filed before the court the
forms and attached documents submitted to INEC by the APC
gubernatorial candidate.

When the case came up for hearing on Thursday, counsel to the
plaintiff, Mr. Abdulrazak Gold, informed the court that Abdulrahman
Abdulrazak, who is the Kwara State governor-elect and who is the
defendant in the suit, could not be traced by the court bailiffs to
be served with the documents of the suit in his known
addresses.

The counsel, while praying the court to grant the plaintiff an
adjournment, said that Abdulrazak could not yet be served with the
notice of the suit by the bailiffs up till Thursday morning.

In his ruling, Justice Akinpelu adjourned the suit till Tuesday,
May 14, 2019 to allow the plaintiff to serve the governor-elect
with the court notice on the suit.