TheCable

 Gani Audu, running mate of Osagie Ize-Iyamu, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 19 election in Edo state, has been accused of certificate forgery.

According to the Action Democratic Party (ADP), documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed discrepancies in his academic qualifications and other means of identification.

ADP said the discrepancies appeared 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.

The party has instituted a case at the federal high court, Abuja, seeking the disqualification the APC candidate 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 is 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.

In his APC membership card, his name appeared as Gani Audu while the name on 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),” the ADP said.

“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.”