The Ondo State Governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, breathed a sigh of relief on Friday as he became the first aspirant to be cleared by the All Progressives Congress screening committee for the upcoming governorship primary on April 20.
Aiyedatiwa, who has been facing allegations of academic certificate forgery, has been at the center of controversy in recent weeks. A legal practitioner, Oladotun Hassan, raised concerns about a possible tampering of the ongoing probe into the governor’s academic credentials by a top-ranking officer. However, Aiyedatiwa’s legal team has refuted these claims.
Another governorship aspirant, Gbenga Edema, urged the APC National Chairman and the National Working Committee to thoroughly investigate the authenticity of Aiyedatiwa’s certificate. Edema emphasized the importance of vetting credentials to avoid a situation similar to the disqualification of Bayelsa APC governorship candidate, David Lyon, by the Supreme Court.
Despite the challenges, Aiyedatiwa expressed his relief after being cleared by the screening committee. He addressed journalists at the APC national secretariat, confirming the authenticity of his certificates and dismissing the allegations as mischief by rival aspirants.
Aiyedatiwa also provided context to the confusion surrounding his credentials, explaining that the merging of schools by the then governor of Lagos, Lateef Jakande, led to the discrepancy in graduation years. He emphasized that his certificates are genuine and encouraged verification through the WAEC website.
With his name now cleared, Aiyedatiwa is ready to focus on the upcoming governorship primary, confident in his qualifications and determined to move past the controversy that threatened his candidacy.
