WAEC Fails to Tender Sanwo-Olu’s Certificate, Ordered to Submit Result Verification Portal

• The election tribunal has subpoenaed WAEC to submit its result verification portal back-end server for forensic analysis
• WAEC was summoned over its failure to tender Sanwo-Olu's certificate before the Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal
• PDP governorship candidate, Abdulazeez Adediran, had alleged that Sanwo-Olu presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2019

Lagos State - The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has been ordered to submit its result verification portal back-end server and other information technology infrastructure for forensic analysis over its failure to tender Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s certificate in court.

The Lagos State Governorship, Election Petition Tribunal, gave the order on Sunday, June 25, based on the request of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Abdulazeez Adediran, claiming that Sanwo-Olu lied on oath in his 2023 form EC9 by presenting a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2019, The Independent reported.

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A statement issued to newsmen on Monday, June 26, said a check in Sanwo-Olu’s 2019 Form CF001 revealed that the purported statement of WAEC result he claimed he sat for in 1981 in Ijebu Ife Community Grammar School, Ogun state, was confirmed to be invalid on the WAEC result verification portal.

The statement partially read:

“While responding to Jandor/ PDP petition, Governor Sanwo-Olu didn’t attach the purported WAEC certificate to counter Jandor/PDP claims, but the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the 4th respondent attached a printout from the same WAEC portal, which hitherto confirmed Sanwo-Olu’s purported WAEC result to be non-existent.”

Jandor challenged the integrity of the sudden appearance and upload of Sanwo-Olu’s WAEC result on the verification portal and subpoenaed WAEC to come and tender the said 1981 WAEC certificate under oath in court.

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The WAEC representative who was bid to be in court last week in the oath of witnesses deposed to and sighted said:

“I am unable to tender the duplicate copy of the May/June 1981 G.C.E. ‘O’ Level certificate of one Sanwo-Olu Babajide Olusola.”

The witness added that WAEC does not produce counterpart copies of candidates’ certificates nor retain duplicate copies of candidates’ certificates.

The statement added that:

“However, a check on the WAEC website revealed that in the event of loss of the WAEC certificate, the council issues an attestation in the form of a CTC, but none of such was issued by WAEC to ascertain the claim of Babajide Sanwoolu, hence the order of the court that WAEC should submit it back end-server and other information technology infrastructure for forensic analysis. "

"This exercise will expose the date and time the sudden appearance of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s purported 1981 WAEC result was uploaded, as the same result wasn’t there as of APRIL 7th, 2023 when Jandor/PDP filed their petition at the tribunal.”

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Tribunal disqualifies Labour Party, Rhodes-Vivour’s witness against Sanwo-Olu, gives reason

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, on Thursday, June 15, disqualified Erastus Ofoma, a witness subpoenaed by Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, to testify against Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Chairman of the three-man tribunal committee, Justice Arum Igyen-Ashom, held that Ofoma’s statement on oath was uploaded outside the 21 days stipulated under the Electoral Act.

APC Vs LP: Anxiety as Tribunal set to give verdict on Gbadebo’s petition against Sanwo-Olu in Lagos

Legit.ng also reported that the Lagos State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal is expected to give a verdict on whether or not the petition filed by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the candidate of the Labour Party in the March 18 election, is competent to be heard or not.

Justice Arum Ashom, the chairman of the tribunal, said the verdict would be given on Friday, June 2, after submission from counsels on the matter.

Source: Legit.ng