The police will on October 31 arraign the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the recent Osun State election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, for alleged examination malpractice, criminal conspiracy, and impersonation.
The police also accused the senator of presenting a forged birth certificate, stating that in his National Examination Council 2017 result obtained by detectives, he claimed that he was born on June 12, 1997, but in his statement to the police, the senator wrote May 13, 1960 as his date of birth.
Adeleke would be arraigned alongside his co-accused – Sikiru Adeleke; the Principal of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Alhaji Aregbesola Mufutau; a worker who handled the registration of candidates for NECO in the school, Mr. Gbadamosi Ojo; and a teacher who allegedly facilitated the crime, Mr. Dare Olutope.
Adeleke’s arraignment under the Examination Malpractice Act, CAP E15, 2004, failed to hold on Tuesday following his absence before Justice Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The Force had a few days to the Osun election, filed criminal charges against the PDP governorship candidate and four others at the Federal High Court and directed him to report to the Special Investigation Panel, Force headquarters, Abuja, immediately to answer the charges.
The arraignment was, however, suspended by the Presidency following criticisms by Nigerians who felt that the action was politically motivated and calculated to humiliate him and frustrate his electoral chances.
The police had explained that on July 21, 2017, the Osun State Police Intelligence Bureau received and acted on an actionable intelligence about an ongoing examination malpractice involving Senator Adeleke and Sikiru at Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School in the state.
But while the police were taking steps to prosecute Adeleke, the Force failed to investigate or prosecute a former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, for certificate forgery.
Adeosun resigned as minister on September 14 following an investigation which indicted her for presenting a forged National Youth Service Corps exemption certificate.
She subsequently left for London, United Kingdom less than 24 hours after tendering her resignation letter.
The police claimed that they had no idea that she was involved in the forgery of the NYSC exemption certificate.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, told a Punch correspondent in Abuja on Friday, that there was no formal complaint against the ex-minister. He explained that Adeosun was not prosecuted for forgery because she was not investigated by the Force.
“We don’t know anything about her case because nobody reported any matter to us, we didn’t have any complaint against her, and nobody complained or reported to us. The Force has no knowledge of any case,” Moshood stated.
When told that the matter was covered by the media for months, he retorted,“Did you (our correspondent) report to us?”
Reminded that a non-governmental organisation, Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resource Centre, had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to probe the forgery allegations against Adeosun before she resigned, Moshood directed further inquiries to the NGO. (Punch)