Breaking: ADP drags Obaseki to court over alleged certificate forgery

The Action Democratic Party (ADP) said it has concluded plans to challenge governor Godwin Obaseki’s victory at the election petition tribunal.


ADP’s national chairman, Engr Yabagi Yusuf Sani, at a press conference Tuesday in Abuja, expressed satisfaction with the independent national electoral commission (INEC) over the conduct of the election explained that the decision was aimed at strengthening democratic rule in the country.


He said it behoves the court to determine the propriety of the educational certificates of Governor Obaseki as well as the process that led to his selection as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).


Yabagi Sani, while giving reasons his party will challenge Obaseki’s victory said: “The questions are very simple. Can a candidate buy nomination forms from two parties in the same election cycle? Can a student get into university with just 3 credits and without maths and English?


“Can a political party shift the date of the sales of their nomination forms after giving INEC and the public a date? Can a political party extend the date of their  primaries with just 5 days notice to INEC when the electoral act stipulates 7 days? Can a dead and buried vice Chancellor sign a student result  and date it after his death?


“Most importantly, if any of these issue is resolved in the negative, can the PDP be said to have fielded a candidate in the just past governorship election? We should all be thankful to our candidate, Comrade Iboyi Emmanuel who has gone to court to ask these fundamental questions on behalf of Nigerians, the man will end up deepening our democracy. 


“This country shouldn’t be about political parties, it should be about laws, justice and equity. I want to assure you that we are ready to prosecute this matter to a logical conclusion until justice is done to the great people of Edo state.”


The ADP boss also faulted reports making the round that the party alongside 9 other political parties have withdrawn from the governorship race in Ondo state to support the PDP candidate.


He said the party’s candidate, Prince Martin Kunle Olateru-Olagbegi, is still very much in the race to occupy the Ondo state governorship seat.


He noted: “The ADP considers this statement as a ploy, malicious and untrue. We condemn this falsehood in its strongest term and warn these visionless hungry politicians and their sponsors to issue a rebuttal or face litigation. This is not their first attempt as it has become a common trend in their futile exercise to deceive members of the public in order to market their unpopular candidate. 


“And of course, we know those behind these unfortunate plots. The PDP is behind this toxic idea because the statement emanated from their state secretariat in Akure.Let me state for the records that we have never contemplated, neither have we discussed with anyone that we intend to go into alliance with any political party.”

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