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By Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The governorship candidate of the APC in Ogun state, Adedapo Abiodun, has been dragged to court for allegedly giving false information in one of the forms filled and submitted to the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC).
A legal practitioner and a member of the party, Abdulrafiu Adesina Baruwa, is asking the Abuja High Court to disqualify Abiodun and declare Jimi Lawal who came second in the primaries as governorship candidate.
Baruwa in the suit is asking for a declaration of court that having regard to the unambiguous provisions of Section 31 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), a candidate sponsored by a political party, in this case, Mr Dapo Abiodun, is under an obligation to make full disclosure of all his educational qualifications as demanded by INEC in the prescribed FORM CF 001 aside the orders being sought.
He is also asking for a declaration that the willful concealment or refusal by Abiodun not to disclose all his educational qualifications as demanded by INEC in FORM CF 001 amounts to false information and that by the mandatory provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010(as amended) and National Youth Service Corps Act, Cap. N84, Laws of the Federation, 2004.
He stressed that Abiodun, who obtained a university degree or its equivalent at age 30 and below cannot willfully conceal and/or refuse to disclose in his FORM CF 001 his university qualification for the purpose of evading the consequences of the Acts.
Baruwa also asked the court to declare that the APC is not at liberty to apply double standards in clearing and/ or disqualifying persons aspiring for elective offices and that Abiodun, who had earlier stated on oath his university qualification cannot subsequently be permitted in law to willfully conceal his university qualification for the sole purpose of evading the consequences of such educational qualifications.
Baruwa asked the court to determine “whether having regard to the unambiguous provisions of Section 31 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), a candidate sponsored by a political party is not under an obligation to make full disclosure of all his educational qualifications as demanded by INEC in the prescribed FORM CF 001?
“Whether the willful concealment and/or refusal by a candidate sponsored by a political party for an election to disclose all his educational qualifications as demanded by INEC in FORM CF 001 does not amount to false information and by the mandatory provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010(as amended) and National Youth Service Corps Act, Cap. N84, Laws of the Federation, 2004, a candidate for an elective office, who had obtained a University Degree or its equivalent at age 30 and below can willfully conceal in his FORM CF 001 his University qualifications for the purpose of evading the consequences of the Acts?”
The summons filed by Oluwole Aladedoye, Esq., was supported by a 23-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Baruwa himself and a written address to argue his points from the point of law.