PDP Fixes March 7 For Osun Guber Primary Election

 

• As Group Picks Holes In Sen. Adeleke’s Documents

By Ismaeel Uthman & Yusuf Oketola

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approved March 7, 2022 for the governorship primary election in the State of Osun.

This was contained in a press statement signed by the National Organising Secretary of the party, Hon. Umar Bature on Wednesday.

The announcement came after the 544th meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in Abuja, where they approved the reports of the Screening Committee and the Appeal Panel which cleared all the six gubernatorial aspirants.

Other activities slated for the primary election is Osun stakeholders Meeting with the NWC in Abuja on February 1, 2022, Ward Congresses to elect 3-Man Ad-Hoc Ward Delegates on February 16 and 17, 2022.

Also, Local Government congresses to elect National Delegate per local government and Person Living with Disability on February 26, 2022.

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the Appeal Committee cleared all the governorship aspirants on Monday.  

Some members of the party in the State of Osun intensified efforts to ensure that Senator Ademola Adeleke was disqualified from contesting the governorship ticket of the party.

The members, who gathered under the auspices of Concerned Members of PDP in Osun State, insisted that Adeleke was not qualified to bear the flag of the party in the July 16, 2022 governorship election.

In a petition sent to the Appeal Committee of the party, the PDP members picked holes in the nomination form and credentials of Adeleke, saying there were discrepancies in information and documents submitted to the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). 

The PDP members, in the petition signed by a retired officer of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Akin Adeyi, said the information supplied and documents submitted to the party and INEC by Adeleke contained different names which poses threats to the victory of the party at the poll.  

They stated that the governorship aspirant has his named written differently as Adeleke Ademola and Adeleke Ademola N on the Statement of Result (2018) and School Testimonial (1988) respectively by Ede Muslim Grammar, Ede. 

According to the PDP members, the names on the Register of Admission of Ede Muslim Grammar School is Ademola Adeleke, while the name on the WAEC Ledger containing the results of all the candidates (001 221) who sat for the WASSC at the school bears Adeleke Ademola.

Also, the Penn Foster High School Diploma result submitted by the 2018 candidate of the PDP bears Ademola Jackson Adeleke, while the name on the Atlanta Metropolitan State College which awarded degree of Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice to him is Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke.

The name on the National Youth Service Corps Certificate of Exemption with Exemption No: EXE/FRN/2021/722698 (Serial No: 00557090) is Adeleke Ademola Jackson.

On his Voter’s card, the PDP members said, Adeleke’ name is written as ‘Adeleke Ademola Jackson’ while he wrote his name on the INEC Form CFOOI as ‘Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke’. 

The name on the provisional clearance certificate given to the aspirant after the screening exercise of the party “is Senator Ademola Adeleke is Sen. Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke, said the PDP members.” 

The PDP members also claimed that Adeleke’s documents contained different date of births. 

According to the petition: “That there is no nexus between Annexures 1-15 as it relates to his name, date of birth, admission number, name of the Institution he graduated and Party membership number.

“The names on the different documents presented by Senator Ademola Adeleke are different and brandishing certificates and other documents that do not carry his name and using affidavits to assert his ownership of the certificates and documents did so in error and fraudulently.

“It is one thing for a person to bear multiple names. It is another however, when it becomes a legal problem when the multiple names appear on different official documents and the efforts to explain the contradictory names leads to more contradictions.

“That it may be uncanny for a person not to be sure of his name, date of birth, number of O’ Level Subjects he sat for at WAEC, Admission number and name of the Institutions he graduated from, it becomes an issue of fraud when a man presents official documents bearing conflicting names. 

“Date of birth, number of O’ Level Subjects, admission number and name of the Institution he graduated from and his attempts to cover the conflicts are also conflicting, dubious and untenable.”

“It is a notorious fact known in Osun State today that because of the controversy which surrounds the name of Senator Ademola Adeleke particularly his academic records which are controversial.

“We have painstakingly weighed the bright chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to win the next governorship election in Osun State after waiting for 12 years. We cannot afford to waste this chance again. 

“The documents presented by Senator Ademola Adeleke from 2017 till date to the party are marred with severe irregularities as enumerated above which cannot be glossed over.

“Therefore, it is my humble request that Senator Ademola Adeleke should be disqualified from the forthcoming gubernatorial primary election in Osun State in the overall interest of the Party and the Osun State.”