Certificate Saga: No Cause For Alarm, Aiyedatiwa Tells Supporters

The Ondo State governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has asked his supporters to ignore rumours being peddled on social media about his credentials.

Aiyedatiwa who spoke about the controversy trailing his certificates and academic records, assured his supporters to relax and not bother themselves about the social media rumours.

He stated this while addressing the 130 crown Obas who came to throw their weight behind his ambition as their preferred candidate ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in the State.

An APC governorship aspirant, Gbenga Edema, had written a petition to the party’s leadership over an allegation that the West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate Ayedatiwa is using to contest for its primary election is not Ikosi High School as he claimed.

Edema, in a petition addressed to the APC national legal adviser and chairman of the credentials/document vetting committee, Prof. Abdulkarim Kana, said the issue of WAEC certificate with the number 15592/019 presented to the committee by Ayedatiwa has been a subject of controversy for some time.

The governorship aspirant argued that Ikosi High School, Ketu, was founded in the year 1980 and was not accredited to sponsor or present candidates for the May/June WAEC examinations until the year 1985.

Ayedatiwa, Edema and 14 other aspirants obtained the expression of interest and nomination forms to contest for the APC primary election slated for April 20, 2024.

However, Aiyedatiwa who took time to narrate his educational journey from primary school to tertiary institution, denounced all false accusations about his academic record.

He called on the monarchs and party loyalists to ignore over-ambitious politicians and individuals who flooded social media accusing him of not being qualified and parading fake certificates.

The governor charged his supporters and party faithful to remain focused on supporting his administration, his target of clinching the APC governorship ticket and eventually winning in the November 16 governorship election.

Earlier, 130 traditional rulers in the state had thrown their weight behind the governor as their preferred candidate.

During a courtesy visit to the governor’s office in Akure on Monday, the chairman of the 130 crown Obas of Ondo State, Oba Samuel Olumide Adeoye, the Molokun of Atijere kingdom, announced the delegation’s endorsement of the governor for the forthcoming primary and general election in the state.

The traditional rulers also raised several demands during the meeting, including a request for five per cent of local government allocation for traditional rulers, provision of vehicles for Obas to enhance mobility, periodic grading for Obas, healthcare support for sick Obas, and direct placement of their staff under their authority for disciplinary actions.

In response, the governor assured the Obas that their demands were duly noted.

He mentioned that the issue of allocating five per cent of local government allocation to traditional rulers was already under consideration, promising to address it within a week.

He also expressed willingness to provide vehicles for traditional rulers in phases and agreed to place their staff directly under their authority.

Regarding the periodic upgrade of Obas, the governor affirmed the administration’s commitment to reviewing and implementing upgrades as necessary.

He assured the traditional rulers that support extended to farmers would also benefit those who have farmland, citing the recent distribution of maize to farmers to stabilize market prices.

Additionally, he reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting sick Obas with healthcare services.