…it’s non-issue, says APC
*Activist who instituted suit alleges threat to life
By Mumini AbdulKareem
The alleged certificate scandal involving the Governor-elect of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq reportedly took another dimension last week following online reports of alleged moves to cover his track.
The report which trended on many online platforms alleged that Abdulrazaq who was recently elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform in a bid to save face flew to Kaduna State to tidy up issues relating to completion of his secondary school education.
But the state chapter of the party has dismissed the report as a non-issue.
According to the Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Tajudeen Aro, all the allegation emanating from the alleged certificate scandal of the Governor-elect are false, adding that the party is not in any way bothered by it.
Aro in a telephone chat with our reporter, last night said, “The allegation cannot be true because this is not the first time he (Abdulrazaq) will contest.
“He has been contesting for quite some time now and nobody has raised such allegation. I think this is just an imagination. As far as the party is concerned, the issue to us is not an issue because there is nothing to handle in a case that has no basis.
The online report allegedly added that some lawyers acting on behalf of Abdulrahman were in WAEC office in Yaba, Lagos to plead with officials over the issue but met a brick wall.
Although some officials of the party have accused political opponents of being behind the issue, it was gathered that some aggrieved members of the party who had initially kicked against the emergence of Abdulrahman were reportedly making efforts to get him disqualified.
This is however coming just as Adekunle Oluwafemi Abraham, the activist that instituted a court case over authenticity of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate of Abdulrazaq has alleged that his life is being threatened by unknown people.
The case over the authenticity of the governorship candidate’s WAEC certificate was instituted on March 7, 2019.
The case with suit number KWS/73/2019 was assigned to a Kwara State High Court presided by Justice Adenike Akinpelu while the court gave the governor-elect, 30 days to defend the authenticity of his WAEC certificate.
Abraham, who addressed newsmen in Ilorin, last week, said that he had continued to receive threat text messages from unknown persons, pressure from both community and religious leaders and calls from friends and relations, urging him to withdraw the case from the court.
He has however vowed to pursue the case to its logical conclusion, notwithstanding the threat.
Abraham, who said that he instituted the court case based on personal conviction to expose illegality in the society in line with the anti corruption posture of the current administration in the country, added that he did not do it in the name of his community, Apado, in Ilorin East local government area or any political party.
Describing himself as an activist from his school days at the University of Ilorin, Abraham said, “instead of being celebrated as a whistle-blower, I’m here being castigated by my community. And I don’t see any reason this action should be treated in isolation because there are other cases before this in this country, which did not attract much attention.
“Yes, I’m a member of the PDP, but I’m not holding forth for my party or my community. Nobody is sponsoring me. And I hope I deserve a national honour for this action of mine. If we say we are fighting corruption and are still perpetuating corruption, it means double talk. When are we getting out of this corruption mess we’ve found ourselves if we go on like this?” he asked rhetorically.
But the APC governor-elect, through his media aide, Rafiu Ajakaye was reported to have said that, “we are not aware of any such pending case nor a court order in Kwara State or anywhere in Nigeria”, even as he described the court case as desperate propaganda of a dying dynasty.
“It is on record that Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq submitted his WAEC certificate for two previous elections – in 2011 and 2015. In the two instances, the INEC duly vetted his credentials and found them to be genuine. Nothing has changed”.
Meanwhile, Secondary schoolmates of Abdulrazaq faulted the reports that the politician dropped out of Government College Kaduna.
According to the Government College Kaduna Old Boys Association (GCKOBA) class of 76 in statement signed by Kabiru Yaro, Abdulmalik Giwa and Sanusi Ramallam on behalf of the 1976 set of the college, AbdulRazaq bore the school registration number 1841 and was a member of the popular El-Kanemi House.
“We state that Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (1841), who was a member of El-Kanemi House, did not drop out of Government College Kaduna as is being alleged by mischievous elements behind the smear campaign against him”, their statement added.
