According to PILOT News publication, titled "LET THE TRIBUNAL DETERMINE OSHIOMHOLE’S ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS"
Friday, 14 September 2012. By Kassim Omomia.
As the Edo election tribunal sitting in Benin gears towards another round of making a legal milestone history over the outcome of the July 14 Edo election for which the PDP candidate, General Charles Ariavbhere is challenging the authenticity of the elementary school certificates of the ACN candidate and Edo governor, comrade Adam Oshiomole, not much could be said for now if the result before INEC and contested by the PDP are the true reflection of the comrades governors claims according to reports.
But no matter how critics posit the current certificate anomaly, it is the courts or the tribunal, in this case, that am make a judicial pronouncement.
But accordingly, rather that make a public mince meat of the result issue of the comrade governor, a media gimmick ,especially the social media , one would have expected that the trial should not be prejudged at this stage but that the Edo Tribunal be left alone to determine the academic qualifications of Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as it comes under investigation.
It is true that beside other issues bothering on alleged irregularities in the July 14th polls , General Ariavhere’s position for which he has approached the Tribunal is over Oshiomole’s claim of both primary and secondary school education.
But viewed from the documents he tendered to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) alongside an affidavit before the last Edo State Governorship election, the comrade-governor claimed to have attended Iyamoh Primary School, Iyamoh, in the then Midwest state from 1957-1962.
However, according to reports quoting sources at the Edo State Ministry of Education said that the same Iyamoh Primary School was founded in 1976, — about 14 years after the governor supposedly graduated from it.
Though the name on the primary and secondary school certificates simply bore Adams Aliu, and then his Ahmadu Bello University Adult Education certificate (1973-74) (also submitted to INEC) bore Adams O. Aliyu, while subsequent certificates bore his current name Adams Aliyu or Aliu Oshiomhole, his critics see it as an absurdity.
Notwithstanding the pressure of the opposition and their interest in this matter, records show that the comrade governor was born on April 4th, 1952. The comrade governor in a handwritten affidavit he personally deposed to said he had no previous names other than Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole.
The Governor also wrote in the affidavit that he attended Iyamoh Primary School, which he did not tender a certificate from the school or the education board to confirm attendance and graduation.
Yes there are also alleged discrepancy in Oshiomhole’s stated date of attending the primary school questions the truthfulness of his claim to have graduated from the elementary school and moved on to a higher school at that time, of which his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Peter Okhiria, declined to comment since according to him, the matter was already in court.
But what discerning minds and critical observers of the political happenings in the state argue is that Oshiomhole has lifted Edo State from the rubbles and terrible leadership the state suffered in the hands of convicted former Governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion of the PDP, and despite the alleged discrepancies, it is only the judiciary as represented by the tribunal can give verdict on the said academic qualifications.
Though it was gathered that the governor who contested and won back-to-back the last two governorship elections in the state under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and recorded an overwhelming victory over the PDP in the last poll, had reached out to the presidency and the PDP ,following which the party will participate fully in the ACN administration in the manner the governor extended his hands of fellowship to his opponents , including the PDP, sources close to government house Benin noted that the gesture is not connected with the matter presently in the Tribunal.
Against this , his critics see his recent trip as the only governor from the opposition that accompanied President Jonathan on his working visit to Malawi and Botswana on Monday as a true relationship that will finally spur the party and its candidate from puling out of the case eventually. However this goes, analysts are of the view that the intervention of the Oba of Benin, who had earlier informed the President of his desire to see him return as governor smoothened the path for the deal between the governor and the Presidency.
But notwithstanding all the allegation and attendant media hype, the position of the constitution and the proclamation of the tribunal will determine all this, an aide of the governor told pilot politics desk.
According to the 1999 constitution: “a person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if:
(a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth;
(b) he has attained the age of thirty-five years;
(c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and
(d) he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”
The comrade governor’s reelection it will be recalled, followed his trashing of Charles Airhiarvbere, candidate of the PDP, who was his closest challenger, by 477,478 votes to 144,235, in the July election.
OSHIOMHOLE SPEAKS ABOUT HIS ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS ..
The only thing that I found humiliating is the fact that they said I forged a Modern Three Leaving Certificate,not school certificate.If I chose to forge a certificate,I did not forge Oxford,Cambridge, Harvard,UNIBEN or even AAU that I can call the VC who is my appointee and say arrange something.So, it’s a Modern Three Leaving Certificate that I will forge? What prestige does it confer on me. It doesn’t make any sense.It has even been phased out.It is just crazy.I attended Ruskin College, Oxford.If you Goggle Ruskin College,you will find that it is there,as we speak.It does not require a trip to London to establish that fact.I did not only attended,I was the best foreign student.I won the best foreign student award,as a result of my academic performance. If you are so lazy that you can’t go outside to check this.
My opponent,Retired Major General Airhiavbere,claimed that he went to NIPSS and I know it is true. He went to NIPS in 2008 and he is very proud that he was in NIPSS, but I went to NIPSS about 21 years before him. I was the youngest participant ever in NIPSS in 1987 and my grade is there.I made B+ with all my rascality. The participants at that time included SSS people,military intelligence people and this was under a military regime. Overall,I got a B+.This was 1987. My challenger,who is alleging that I didn’t go to school went to NIPSS in 2008. I am his senior by many years. Among my classmates at NIPSS are people like the former SGF, Ufot Ekaette, Brigadier Tunde Ogbeha,a former senator currently on the NDDC board, Nuhu Aliyu, again a two-time senator from Niger State, who was a DIG of Police. I could go on and on. And they respected my contributions because when you are radical and you proffer radical argument against the received wisdom of the establishment, the general attitude is that people tend to dismiss you.For them to acknowledge that I got a B+ shows how much I put in.
So,what does it require,under the constitution to be eligible to contest election? It’s not school certificate but secondary school attempt.And when you go into the full definition,you find that even a primary school certificate,plus 10 years work experience are enough requirements to contest for the office of the president of Nigeria.This is not my opinion; you can take the constitution and read and find out how it defines qualification. When they were suggesting to amend that section during the last constitution amendment some people were opposed to the idea of amending it.
Would you argue that I’m not literate, that I have not worked for 10 years? These people have no history. They are pathological liars. To lie is their first name,their middle name and their surname. I have abstained from commenting extensively on this issue because I wasn’t sure it will not be subjudice for me to talk about it,but they have continued to sponsor some hired writers to talk about it. If I didn’t go to school, and I can correct retired Airhiavbere about the difference between tiers of government and arms of government,then I’m a genius. I didn’t go to primary school and yet as far as I know,I have done better than him in every material particular intellectually. I can engage any professor in any matter.If I didn’t go to school and I know as much as I believe I do,may be I’m a genius.
Just to make the point,these guys are just lying and the good news is that these institutions are there.You can go to NIPSS on your own and find out if I was there and whether I had a B+ or not. You can go to Ruskin College at Oxford;ask Professor Otobo. He was doing his Ph.D in Oxford while I was there. These people are alive, assuming there was an issue.
At some other level,they argued in their court papers that there was no nexus between Adams Aliu and Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole and there is a difference between Aliu as in ALIU and ALIYU. What is the difference? How a Yoruba man pronounces Oshiomhole is not how Edo man pronounces it. Does it really make any difference? The truth is,I was born in my village, around Auchi area where you have my father a Muslim, my mother a Muslim. ALIU,that is the way our people spell Aliu.Even right now,in my official document here,I saw that the printer,an Edo person,printed Aliu. In the North,they are going to write that same name as ALIYU. I lived all my adult life in the North and so I started spelling my name exactly the way it is spelt in the North because that is how everybody else spells it and I added Oshiomhole because that is my local name, as opposed to Adams Aliu, which are English and Muslim names. Not that I changed name,I just added Oshiomhole to settle the issue of where I come from.If you say that Aliu is not I,that is to say,I didn’t attend the primary school. I didn’t attend the modelschool; you go to Oxford to find out if Adams Aliu,as in ALIYU Oshiomhole attended the school. If yes,is that superior to the requirement of our constitution?
So,this is to say I was a genius.I didn’t go to school,but I was able to read and write to a point that I convinced the school authorities in Oxford that I was eligible to be admitted and that they gave me the benefit of the doubt and admitted me and I performed so well that I was the best overseas student.
