Adeleke gets seven days to produce certificate

PDP candidate blames fifth columnists for his ordeal. 

The Osun State High Court has given the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 22 election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, seven days to produce his secondary school certificate.

 Rasheed Olabayo and Oluwaseun Idowu prayed the court to disqualify Adeleke for “not possessing a school certificate, as required by Section 177 (d) of the 1999 Constitution. 

 The duo also asked the court to set aside the July 21 primary that produced Adeleke as the party’s governorship candidate. In his ruling yesterday on the ex-parte application filed by Olabayo and Idowu, Justice David Oladimeji, held that granting the leave to restrain the PDP from presenting Adeleke as its candidate due to his inability to present his school certificate to the party may subject the court to mockery, if eventually he presents the certificate. 

 The judge advised the PDP candidate to present his secondary school certificate before the court on Wednesday, August 1. Justice Oladimeji held that the ex-parte injunction has only seven days lifespan, adding there are still windows left open till August 8, according to the affidavits sworn to by the applicants. 

 He said: “It will be inequitable not to allow the respondent to come and show his certificate, if he has any. 

But if given the opportunity to present his side of the case, the balance, which is necessary for interlocutory injunction, would be adequately considered.” Justice Oladimeji adjourned the motion on notice till August 1 for hearing. 

 Also, Adeleke has accused those he called “fifth columnists” for his travail. Addressing reporters in Abuja yesterday, Director of Media and Publicity, Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said fifth columnists were playing out an alleged “destructive? script of their paymaster” against the PDP. 

Rasheed noted that while the campaign organisation recognised the right of any aggrieved aspirant to seek redress, the development, he said, raised discomforting questions about the real motive of the challenging camp.