Certificate forgery: Professors witness against Gov Obaseki, tender exibit

Two University Professors, Emmanuel Dele Balogun and Maikano Asekomhe have testified against the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

The Professors tendered exhibits, which include their original Degree Certificates to court.

Obaseki is in court defending an alleged certificate forgery suit instituted against him by his former political party, the All Progressives Congress APC.

The Professors, who graduated at the University of Ibadan along with the Governor, submitted the certificates for the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to compare and contrast in order to arrive at a just conclusion in the suit.

While Balogun graduated from the Agricultural Economics Department in 1979, the same year Obaseki claimed to have also graduated, Asekomhe graduated studied Banking and Finance in the same school and graduated in 1978.

The duo, who were led in evidence by the lawyer to the APC, Chief Akin Olujimi SAN, also faulted the entry qualifications of three credits in Ordinary Level WAEC and two credits in Advanced Level allegedly used by the Governor to gain direct entry admission to the University in 1976.

They said that such lower qualifications were never accepted by the institution for direct entry for admission.

The Professors, however, stunned the law court when they said that they have never seen the Governor’s certificate in their life.

While under cross examination by Chief Ken Mozia SAN, the Professors also said that they were not competent in law to make comments on the certificate they have never seen.

They said that their evidence were based on the photocopy of documents made available to them by the APC, and further admitted that they have never worked at the admission department of the University of Ibadan.

Obaseki will on Tuesday (today) open his defense at the court.

Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed on Monday adjourned hearing in the suit to Tuesday.

Recall that Governor Obaseki, prior to his second term election, had dumped the APC after the party disqualified him from running in its primary election, citing certificate forgery.

The Governor then decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, where he contested and won the election defeating APC’s Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.