Godwin Obaseki

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

Chief Dan Orbih, chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Edo state, at the weekend raised fresh allegation over the academic qualification of governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

The state PDP chairman who earlier questioned the loss of the original copies of Obaseki’s certificates, alleged that the APC flag bearer’s 1973 certificate with which he gained admission to the University was doctored.

Recall that the APC governorship candidate had less than a week ago announced the recovery of the original copies of his missing certificates over which loss he deposed to an affidavit at an Abuja Federal High Court on June 7 this year.

Displaying what he claimed was Obaseki’s certificate, Orbih said: “I have had Oshiomhole refer to him as a technocrat and the candidate himself describe himself as one.

“Here with me is the school certificate he used to gain admission to the University of Ibadan. In this result, he did not pass Economics, but he calls himself head of economic team. In the same certificate, he made P7 in English and failed Mathematics.

“He claimed he entered university the year he left secondary school. How could he have gained admission with such result? The result was not even good enough for any form of preliminary studies.

“This can only mean that Godwin Obaseki forged certificates to gain admission to the University of Ibadan. It is obvious that the man has no academic qualifications as he had only three credits.

“How could you secure admission to study Classics without credit in English. It means that talk of his certificates missing and that he swore to an affidavit were all set out to cover a fraud.

“These credentials are certainly not intimidating. I must lay bare this information to Edo people.”

Reacting to Orbih’s allegation, coordinator of the Godwin Obaseki Campaign Organisation, Mr. Aiyewemkpen Osakue, described the allegation as unimaginable and tasked journalists to verify Obaseki’s academic qualifications at the University of Ibadan.

“For people who are hollow and intellectually deficient, off course, they could make all kinds of imaginable and unimaginable allegations to cover up the fact that they are not marketable.

“Obaseki attended the University of Ibadan at a time cheating was alien to Nigeria’s academic system. Unless you are qualified, you cannot be admitted to the premier university that the University of Ibadan is.

“It is just stupidity to make that kind of allegation against a man that is acclaimed all over the world. However, we will come up with a press statement on the matter later as we are campaigning now,” Osakue said.