In the days ahead, the academic qualifications of Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole will come under intense scrutiny, following the emergence of documents that seem to cast serious doubts on his claim of both primary and secondary school education. According to documents he tendered to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) alongside an affidavit before the last Edo State Governorship election, the comrade-governor claimed to have attended Iyamoh Primary School, Iyamoh, in the then Midwest state from 1957-1962.
However, multiple sources at the Edo State Ministry of Education told THEWILL that the same Iyamoh Primary School was founded in 1976, — about 14 years after the governor supposedly graduated from it.
Also curiously, the name on the primary and secondary school certificates simply bore Adams Aliu, and then his Ahmadu Bello University Adult Education certificate (1973-74) (also submitted to INEC) bore Adams O. Aliyu, while subsequent certificates bore his current name Adams Aliyu or Aliu Oshiomhole.
Born on April 4th, 1952, the comrade governor in a handwritten affidavit he personally deposed to say he had no previous names other than Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. Though the Governor wrote in the affidavit that he attended Iyamoh Primary School, he did not tender a certificate from the school or the education board to confirm attendance and graduation.
The discrepancy in Oshiomhole’s stated date of attending the primary school questions the truthfulness of his claim to have graduated from the elementary school and moved on to a higher school at that time. Oshiomhole’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Peter Okhiria, declined to comment on the discrepancies discovered in the documents saying the matter was already in court.
Though Oshiomhole has lifted Edo State from the rubbles and terrible leadership the state suffered in the hands of convicted former Governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion of the PDP, THEWILL can report that the governor has been shaken by the discovery of discrepancies in his academic qualifications.
THEWILL has also gathered that the governor who contested and won back-to-back the last two governorship elections in the state under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and recorded an overwhelming victory over the PDP in the last poll, has reached out to President Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Tony Anenih, where a deal has allegedly been agreed that will see Anenih nominate a handful of commissioners in the yet to be constituted state cabinet as guarantee for the Federal Government’s full support as he battles to protect his electoral victory in court.
Oshiomhole was the only governor from the opposition that accompanied President Jonathan on his working visit to Malawi and Botswana on Monday. Two high-ranking politicians in the state told THEWILL that the intervention of the Oba of Benin, who had earlier informed the President of his desire to see him return as governor smoothened the path for the deal between the governor and the Presidency.
However, for not carrying along the PDP’s Governorship candidate, Major General Charles Airhiavbere and the state chapter of the party, the duo ignored a directive from the national office of the PDP to abandon the legal challenge over Oshiomhole’s eligibility for the governorship election of July 14, 2012.
The party and Charles Airhiavbere have accused Oshiomhole of only tendering a Modern School Leaving Certificate without a Primary School Certificate. In their filing in court, they claimed that Oshiomhole dropped out of Blessed Martin’s Secondary Modern School saying that “even the modern school certificate he presented on oath to INEC had been found to be fake”, adding that by the constitution, he should not have been eligible to stand as a candidate in the election.
The 1999 constitution says, “a person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if
(a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth;
(b) he has attained the age of thirty-five years;
(c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and
(d) he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”
It is now in the hands of the judiciary to decide the authenticity of the documents tendered by the comrade-governor who to the amusement of many filled “Edo State Governor” in the column marked “Occupation” in his INEC form. Oshiomhole is in his second term as governor of Edo, after defeating Charles Airhiarvbere, candidate of the PDP, who was his closest challenger, by 477,478 votes to 144,235, in the July election.
