Ondo Election 2024: Certificates APC, PDP, Labour Party Candidates Submitted to INEC

• The governorship election in Ondo state in the south-west region of Nigeria is scheduled for Saturday, November 16, 2024
• APC's Lucky Aiyedatiwa is up against Agboola Ajayi, candidate of the PDP; Sola Ebiseni of the Labour Party (LP); and 15 others
• Legit.ng examines the certificates the candidates of the PDP, APC and the Labour Party probably submitted to INEC

Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering politics and elections in Nigeria.

Akure, Ondo state - The 2024 Ondo state governorship election comes up on Saturday, November 16.

Qualified voters in Ondo state will soon exercise their franchise to elect the public servant that will occupy the top seat at the Government House in Alagbaka.

Candidates from 18 political parties are in the contest. However, the election is widely considered a three-horse race. The individuals considered the frontrunners are: Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the incumbent; Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); and Sola Ebiseni of the Labour Party (LP).

In Nigeria, no law compels a candidate to submit all his/her academic certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before being allowed to contest an election. Some candidates may only fill their qualifications in the nomination form and decide not to submit either the hardcopy or e-copy to the electoral umpire. To be elected as a state governor in Nigeria, the 1999 constitution, section 177, stipulates that an aspirant must have "been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent", among other requirements.

In this report, Legit.ng examines the certificates the top three candidates may have submitted to INEC.

1) Lucky Aiyedatiwa (APC)

Per an INEC document reviewed by Legit.ng on Friday, November 15, Aiyedatiwa completed primary school. He also has a General Certificate of Education (GCE).

Before the Ondo APC governorship primary in April, Aiyedatiwa was accused of certificate forgery. Ondo State Redemption Initiative (OSRI), which claims to be a social-political group, alleged that Aiyedatiwa’s educational claims were fraudulent. According to the group, Aiyedatiwa’s resume indicates that he obtained an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Ibadan (UI) in 2001. However, it asserted that after investigation, it found that such a diploma was not available at the UI in 2001. The group stressed that the governor’s academic records were false and advised the APC not to field a candidate with questionable academic records.

Meanwhile, the governor's aide, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said the allegations are false and sponsored by political enemies to discredit the governor ahead of the November 16 poll.

2) Agboola Ajayi (PDP)

Ajayi sat for WASSCE. WASSCE stands for West African Senior School Certificate Examination, a standardised test in West Africa that certifies a student's graduation from secondary school. The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) administers the exam.

Per his resume, Ajayi graduated from the Faculty of Law, Igbinedon University, Okada, Edo state. He also attended the Nigerian Law School, Abuja, for the compulsory one-year law education.

3) Sola Ebiseni (LP)

Sola Ebiseni holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife). He was called to the Bar in 1986.

Although reports emerged recently that the appeal court sacked Ebiseni, the director of legal services, Labour Party Campaign Organisation, Ojo Tosin Leramo, described the report as “the handiwork of fifth columnists and political opponents.”

Read more on Ondo governorship election 2024:

• Obasanjo meets APC guber candidate days to Ondo election
• Sensitive election materials for governorship poll arrive in Ondo
• IGP releases fresh orders against Amotekun, vigilante groups as Ondo election looms
• Ondo guber election: Fresh twist as APC group dumps Governor Aiyedatiwa, backs SDP candidate
• “Don’t set Ondo on fire”: Ganduje warned as tension escalates over governorship election

Ondo election: Candidates may step down

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that about eight political parties would align with the APC or the PDP.

The deals to join the two bigger parties were struck recently, with announcements for support for either the APC or PDP candidates to be made before Friday, November 15.

Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng