Ize-Iyamu and Deputy
A lawsuit seeking the disqualification of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) man which poses a major hurdle, almost insurmountable to his candidature for the Edo governorship election has been filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
This follows massive discrepancies observed in the documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Ize-Iyamu’s running mate, Gani Audu.
The discrepancies appear in a number of documents and show a trail similar to the inconsistencies found in the academic credentials of the sacked deputy governor of Bayelsa State, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, which caused the APC to lose the state after the Supreme Court ruled that his certificates were defective thereby nullifying the party’s ticket in that state’s recent governorship election.
To this end, the Action Democratic Party (ADP) has instituted a court case at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking the court to disqualify the candidate of the APC, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as result of the defective certificates of his running mate.
The ADP is asking the court to rule that certificates submitted by Audu are forged and that he was not fit to stand for the September 19 governorship election in Edo.
In the documents, while Gani Audu swore to an affidavit submitted to INEC with his name as Audu Abudu Ganiyu, his other documents bear conflicting names.
TheNation reports that a legal expert, Mr Blessed Omonuwa, who assessed the documents, said, “While his name on the affidavit is Audu Abudu Ganiyu, in his voter’s card, his name is Audu Abdul Ganiyu. Likewise, in his APC membership card, his name appears as Gani Audu. The WASSCE/GCE certificate he submitted bears Audu Ahudu Ganeyu
“His APC membership card bears the name Audu Gani. The discrepancies are bewildering. The action violates section 182 (1) (j) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”
“Hence, there is no way we can say that a person with this conflict of names is the same as the Gani Audu we see today on the campaign trail of the candidate of the APC.
“The only explanation one can hazard is that he may have used the academic credentials of another person and tried to pass off as that person.
“The case is watertight and may well spell the end of the APC campaign trail as they are sure to suffer the same fate as their party’s candidate in Bayelsa, who had similar liabilities in his certificate.”
Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the APC govenorship candidate will face incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki of the PDP in the election.
