The governor of Ondo State, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, received approval from the All Progressives Congress (APC) screening committee on Friday in advance of the April 20 governor’s primary.
The first candidate to get approval from the committee was Aiyedatiwa.
After the screening, Aiyedatiwa told reporters at the APC national secretariat that he was thrilled the issue was over.
He said, “Aspirants must go through the screening process. In mine, which was done this morning, the screening committee thoroughly verified all of the materials that were submitted and requested clarifications as needed. When questions were raised, I answered them in a way that satisfied them.”
“After the procedure, I was given the go-ahead, especially because of the petition that was started because of issues with my certifications. Those worries have been taken care of today. It has been proven that my certificates are real and valid.”
“I think this is a calculated move by some adversaries who think I’m a tough opponent and want to damage my reputation. After the verification process was finished today, these accusations were refuted.”
The governor has faced difficulties in recent weeks that put his chances of winning the party ticket in jeopardy, including accusations of forging academic certificates.
Attorney Oladotun Hassan filed a petition with the Police Service Commission and Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, claiming that a senior official was trying to influence the ongoing inquiry into the governor’s educational background. Aiyedatiwa’s legal team, however, has angrily refuted these claims.
Similarly, on Monday, Gbenga Edema, a candidate for governor of Ondo, made a plea to the National Working Committee and Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the chairman of the APC National Committee, asking them to look into the issue surrounding the legitimacy of the governor’s certificate.
Edema made it clear that his desire for transparency overcame feelings of jealousy in his plea to the APC. He issued a warning, saying that failing to carefully review the governor’s qualifications before to approving him would result in something similar to the Supreme Court’s decision to disqualify Bayelsa APC nominee David Lyon for governor. Lyon won the election, but was removed for a similar offense.
