A Kwara State High Court has given the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq 30 days to defend the authenticity of his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate.

The court issued the ultimatum following a suit instituted against the APC gubernatorial candidate by one Adekunle Oluwafemi Abraham.

The case with suit number KWS/73/2019 has been assigned to the court of Justice Adenike Akinpelu.

In the court’s writ dated March 7, 2019, the court ordered the defendant (Abdurahman Abdulrazaq) to “within 30 days after the service of this writ on you inclusive of the day of such service, you do cause an appearance to be entered in an action at the suit of Adekunle Oluwafemi Abraham and take notice that in default of you doing so, the claimant may proceed therein and judgment may be given in your absence.

The claimant in his statement on oath said that “while examining the personal particulars of the defendant, he was curious about the purported West African Examination Council (WAEC) 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( WAEC) as a standard examination body in West Africa do 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 (WAEC) school certificate No. SC180683 dated June, 1976 raised my suspicion that the said West African Examination Council( WAEC) No. SC180683 dated June, 1976 could not have been issued by West African Examination Council (WAEC) and I reported my suspicion to my political party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), 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 (WAEC) School Certificate No. SC180683 dated June, 1967 submitted to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the defendant. “The claimant in his statement of claim contended that “the West African Examination Council (WAEC) School Certificate No. SC180683 allegedly issued to the defendant by West African Examination Council (WAEC) in June 1976 and submitted to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a false document. The claimant shall apply to this Honourable court to issue subpoena on West African Examination Council (WAEC) 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 is not qualified to contest for 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 stand disqualified from contesting the gubernatorial elections.

The plaintiff, who attached to the process filed before the court the forms and attached documents submitted to INEC by the APC gubernatorial candidate, is being represented by O. M. Atoyebi and E. O. Oguntimehin.

But reacting to the allegation last night in Ilorin, Abdulrasaq said that, he was not aware of any pending case of alleged forgery of his WAEC certificate, or a court order in the state and anywhere in the country.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye, the APC governorship candidate said that, “It is on record that AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq submitted his WAEC certificate for two previous elections in 2011 and 2015. In the two instances, the INEC duly vetted his credentials and found them to be genuine. Nothing has changed”.

The statement said, “Like their recent court case, which had since been thrown out, we believe this desperate effort will also fail as the court has no time for busy-bodies.

“Rather than weaken their resolve as the desperados wish, these antics can only further embolden Kwarans home and abroad to see to the final burial of the parasitic dynasty”.

The statement urged the public to disregard what it described as the desperate and mischievous propaganda, which has become their stock in trade throughout this campaign.

•Sourced from THISDAY report

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