A group, Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, has called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to investigate Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, for alleged certificate forgery and lying under oath.
The group, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mr. Steve Adepoju, alleged that the embattled Governor has not been able to provide original copies of his academic and voting credentials because they do not exist and the duplicates filed were forged.
The group further called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disqualify Governor Obaseki, noting that presenting him for election could only lead to disqualification and a repeat of the party’s loss in Bayelsa State.
The statement read: “While it is conceded that Governor Godwin Obaseki is a serving governor and cannot be prosecuted for any criminal allegation, the court of Appeal endorsed the decision of the Supreme Court in EFCC v. Fayose & Anor (2018) that the issue of the extent of investigation of the police with respect to a sitting governor and the immunity enjoyed by him under Section 308 of the Constitution was addressed by the Supreme Court in Fawehinmi v. IGP (supra) to the effect that, while a sitting governor cannot be arrested nor proceeded with a court either by civil or criminal proceedings, he can be investigated while in office and evidence gathered/assembled preparatory for use in impeachment proceedings against him or for prosecution when he vacates the office.”
“Delivering the lead judgment in Fawehinmi v. IGP (2002), Uwaifo J.S.C. said that the investigation of a person protected under section 308 of the 1999 constitution, going by its provisions, by the police for an alleged crime or offense is without dispute. According to him, to hold otherwise is to create a monstrous situation whose manifestation may not be fully appreciated until illustrated.”
“Against the background, we are calling for an immediate investigation into the irreconcilable conflicts and contradictions inherent in the academic and voting credentials Governor Godwin Obaseki presented to INEC and attested to its supposed authenticity under a sworn oath in court.”
“To aid the investigation of the Police, the following timeline would suffice: On the 7th of June 2016, Mr. Godwin Obaseki deposed to an affidavit at the High Court in Abuja claiming to have obtained a first-degree certificate of Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from the University of Ibadan in 1976.”
“On the 11th of June 2016, he also made a declaration on oath at the Edo State High Court in Benin City reiterating the claim that he indeed obtained the degree in 1976.
“However, the attached duplicate of the said certificate attached to the sworn oath portrayed that the certificate was obtained in 1979, a claim that contradicts the 1976 date declared by Governor Godwin Obaseki.
“Added to the confusion and contradiction is the fact that Mr. Godwin Obaseki claimed to have obtained an Ordinary Level School Certificate from Eghosa Grammar School in 1973.”
“The duration of study to obtain a degree in Classical Studies from the University of Ibadan for students who gained admission with an Ordinary Level School Certificate like Mr. Godwin Obaseki is four years.”
“If this is the case, then this must mean that Mr. Godwin Obaseki, had he truly gained admission to the school, ought to have graduated in 1977.”
“However, this, once again, is in obvious conflict with the 1976 claim Obaseki personally swore to in an oath and the different 1979 date of graduation on the duplicate certificate he presented in the affidavit and oath he swore to in court.”
“This raises the possibility of two serious crimes at play: that Mr. Godwin Obaseki is guilty of forgery and deliberately misled INEC by submitting a fake certificate to qualify for election, and that he deliberately gave false information on oath which is a violation of the constitutional provisions on qualification for the post of governor.”
On voters’ card, the group stated that Governor Obaseki’s registration is fraught with inconsistencies, saying the Edo governor once presented a temporary voters card that was purportedly issued to him by INEC in 2011 in Edo State only for the governor to write a letter to INEC requesting for his voting center be transferred from Ikoyi, Lagos to Oredo Ward 4, Unit 19.
