The certificate saga

The Peoples Democratic Party and its All Progressives Congress counterpart in Edo State on Monday traded words over the academic certificates of the governorship candidate of the APC, Godwin Obaseki, which he allegedly declared missing in a sworn affidavit.

The state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, during a campaign rally on Cooke Road in Benin, raised concerns over claims by Obaseki that he lost the original copies of his academic credentials.

Orbih, who displayed a document which he said was a copy of the affidavit sworn to at an Abuja High Court, stated that Obaseki had claimed that he lost the original copies of his primary, secondary, university and National Youths Service Corps’ discharged certificates at a date that was not given.

According him, the APC candidate had in the affidavit dated June 7, 2016, allegedly claimed that, “all originals of my above said certificates are kept in a safe custody in my office but, unfortunately, during the process of relocating from one office to another, I misplaced the original of the above said original documents.”

He had also said that Obaseki claimed that he had the photocopies of his secondary, university and NYSC discharge certificates.

Orbih, therefore, challenged him to tell Edo people the whereabouts of his credentials.

But the Obaseki campaign organisation dismissed the statement as false and an act of “chasing shadows.”

Orbih said, “The reasons he (Obaseki) advanced are so flimsy and unconvincing. There are many questions begging for answers. The affidavit does not contain the locations of where he was moving from and to or the state where he lost the certificates.

“Did he report to the police when he lost the certificates? If it was reported at the time they got missing, we want him to tell us.”

He continued, “One will expect that he must have reported the matter to the police. If he did, why did he not attach a copy of the police extract?

“We also do not understand the choice of an Abuja High Court. Did he do that so that Edo people will not know that he claimed he lost his certificates? Is it not unusual that someone will keep his certificates in the office?

“We don’t want to have a careless governor who will misplace vital state documents and give flimsy excuses. Edo State deserves a better person.”

The Deputy Director (Communication, Media and Publicity) of the Obaseki Campaign Organisation, Greg Ogiogwa, in a statement on Monday evening said the affidavit was self explanatory.

Ogiogwa explained, “It is an old trick used by the PDP that has always failed them. They did it to (Adams) Oshiomhole. They did it to (Muhammadu) Buhari and now it is the turn of Obaseki.