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Certificate forgery: Oyetola, APC appeal Osun tribunal’s ruling clearing Adeleke

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The former Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola, and All Progressives Congress (APC) have filed cross-appeal challenging the ruling of the state election petition tribunal on the allegation of certificate forgery against his successor, Ademola Adeleke.

The panel had on January 27 resolved the matter in favour of Adeleke.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had since challenged the ruling of the tribunal which declared Oyetola as the winner of the July 16, 2022 election at the Court of Appeal, Akure.

However, in their cross-appeal filed by the counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and Akin Olujimi, (SAN) the plaintiffs argued that the panel misdirected itself by declaring that the governor’s certificates from Atlanta Metropolitan College and Penn Foster High School were authentic.

The document was made available to journalists on Saturday.

READ ALSO: OSUN: Tribunal’s judgment a triumph of democracy in Nigeria —Ex-Gov Oyetola

 It read: “Exhibits 2R.RW6 and 2R.RW9 are documents that lied against each other, as Exhibit 2R.RW9 purports that the 2nd Cross-Respondent (Ademola Adeleke) obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice within 24 days of obtaining Exhibit 2R.RW6, a Diploma Certificate which purports on its surface to be an equivalent of a Secondary School Certificate.

 “It is in evidence before the Tribunal that Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice of the Atlanta Metropolitan College is a four-year full-time course which fact the Cross-Appellants pleaded in their petition and was admitted by the 2nd Cross-Respondent.

“It is the law that facts admitted need no further proof and it is a presumption which only the 2nd Cross-Respondent could rebut as regards the factual impossibility of obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree within 24 days of obtaining a School Certificate equivalent, thereby casting the onus of proof on him.

 “Having found that forgery was proved by the petitioners against the 2nd cross/respondent in regard to his Exhibits EC9 and FILE D, the tribunal ought to have held pursuant to Section 182(1)(1) that the 2nd respondent was disqualified from contesting the Osun State Governorship Election of July 16, 2022.”

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