Osun high court gives dancing senator Ademola Adeleke seven days to produce his school certificate

SENATOR Ademola Adeleke has been given seven days by the Osun State High Court to produce his secondary school certificate to make him eligible to run for the gubernatorial elections taking place on September 22.

 

Widely popular for his dancing skills, Senator Adeleke, 58, achieved national notoriety in July last year when after winning a by-election to represent Osun West Senatorial District, he celebrated his victory with an elaborate public dance. Earlier this month, Senator Adeleke win the ticket to be the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) Osun State governorship candidate at the forthcoming gubernatorial elections.

 

Since winning the ticket, however, Senator Adeleke has been plagued by a controversy over his education with opponents questioning whether he went to secondary school. Two opponents, Rasheed Olabayo and Oluwaseun Idowu, dragged him to court, demanding that he be disqualified from standing for not possessing a school certificate as required by Section 177 (d) of the 1999 constitution.

 

They also asked the court to set aside the July 21 primary elections that produced Senator Adeleke as the PDP governorship candidate. In his ruling yesterday on the ex-parte application, Justice David Oladimeji, held that granting the leave to restrain the PDP from presenting Senator Adeleke as its candidate may subject the court to mockery, if eventually he presents the certificate.

 

However, the judge advised the PDP candidate to present his secondary school certificate before the court on Wednesday, August 1. Justice Oladimeji held that the ex-parte injunction only has a seven days lifespan, adding there are still windows left open till August 8, according to the affidavits sworn to by the applicants.

 

Justice Oladimeji said: “It will be inequitable not to allow the respondent to come and show his certificate, if he has any. However, if given the opportunity to present his side of the case, the balance, which is necessary for interlocutory injunction, would be adequately considered.”

 

Subsequently, Justice Oladimeji adjourned the motion on notice till August 1 for hearing. Responding, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the media and publicity director of the Adeleke Campaign Organisation, said fifth columnists were playing out an alleged destructive script of their paymaster against the PDP.

 

Alhaji Rasheed noted that while the campaign organisation recognised the right of any aggrieved aspirant to seek redress, the development, raised discomforting questions about the real motive of the challenging camp. Senator Adeleke himself has called on party members especially those who participated in last Saturday’s governorship primaries to put the past behind them and forge a common front as a family to confront the ruling All Progressives Congress in the September electoral contest.

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