‘Obaseki graduated from UI in 1979, his certificate not forged,’ Registrar tells court

The Deputy Chief Registrar, Legal Affairs, University of Ibadan, Abayomi Ajayi, said on Wednesday the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, graduated from the institution in 1979.

He said the governor was issued a certificate by the university after his graduation.

Ajayi stated these when he testified in the alleged certificate forgery case involving Obaseki at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The registrar tendered to the court relevant pages of UI calendar for 1976, admission brochure for degrees, the award of diplomas and certificates, and Obaseki’s application for admission and another one for the collection of his certificate from the university.

He insisted that the university records showed that the governor was admitted through direct entry in 1976 and graduated in 1979.

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Ajayi, who was cross-examined by the All Progressives Congress (APC) counsel, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), said: “I will not regard the photocopy of the original certificate as forged but incomplete photocopy because the certificate of the University of Ibadan is larger than the paper upon which the photocopy was made.”

The APC and its chieftain, Mr. Williams Edobor, had accused Obaseki of parading a forged certificate and dragged him to the court.

The party stopped the governor from participating in its governorship primaries in July last year over alleged discrepancies in his certificates.

He later switched to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and secured the party’s ticket to contest the governorship election held on September 19 last year.

Obaseki was re-elected for another term of four years after he defeated the APC candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in the election.

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