Certificate falsification: Petitioner withdraws case against Governor-elect Abdulrazaq

A member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Adekunle
Abraham, challenging the veracity of the secondary school
certificate of Kwara state Governor-elect Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq
has withdrawn from the case.

Mr. Abraham in a suit at the Kwara state High Court is seeking
to disqualify Mallam AbdulRazaq from the office of Kwara state
governor.

In a notice of discontinuance in Suit No. KWS/73/2019 Abraham
said “I hereby wholly discontinue the case against the
defendant.”

The application is dated May 21, 2019 and filed May 22,
2019.

The petitioner did not state any reason for the sudden decision
to terminate the case.

However, it was gathered that his decision was predicated on the
filing of the official confirmation of AbdulRazaq’s WAEC
certificate in the respondent’s proof of evidence.

The confirmation was sent by the examination body through the
legal team that had earlier applied for same.

“Not only this, the Governor-elect’s legal team has also filed a
number of depositions that proved Abraham’s claim that WAEC doesn’t
issue certificate with initials to be false,” a source said.

“The depositions contain a number of certificates with initials
and within the years the Governor-elect left secondary school,” the
source added.

In view of Abraham’s application, the court is likely to strike
out the case at the next adjournment date in June.

Meanwhile, the governorship petition tribunal sitting in Ilorin,
Kwara State capital, has fixed June 13 and 14 for the commencement
of trial in the PDP’s petition challenging the declaration of
AbdulRazaq as Governor.

The PDP claimed the Governor-elect does not have the secondary
school leaving certificate, which is the legal prerequisite for
anyone running for the office of Governor — a claim AbdulRazaq
insisted is false.

Chairman of the three-person panel Bassey Effiong announced the
date after listening to counsel to the parties in the case at the
continuation of the pre-hearing session on Thursday.

He said the trial will hold at 10a.m. on every hearing date.

Effing said the petitioners will have four days (June 13,14 and
July 9 and 10) to call their witnesses who would then be
cross-examined by the respondents.

The first respondent, the INEC, will have two days (July 11 and
12) to present its defense. AbdulRazaq, who is the second
respondent, will present his defense between July 16, 17 and 18;
while the third respondent, which is the APC, will present its
defense between July 23, 24 and 25.

Effing also said the report of the pre-hearing conference will
be available after Monday May 27.

The matter has been adjourned till Monday May 27 for the
adoption of various motions already filed by all the parties.

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