By Osagie Otabor, Akure
An Akure-based lawyer, Femi Emmanuel Emodamori, has asked an Ondo State High Court to disqualify the governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Mr. Agboola Ajayi, from contesting Saturday’s election for allegedly submitting forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The suit has ZLP and INEC as the 2nd and 3rd defendants.
An Abuja Federal High Court had issued an order of mandamus to compel INEC to publish the particulars of Ajayi.
Besides the disqualification, Emodamori is also seeking an order of the court compelling INEC to stop or withdraw the recognition accorded Ajayi as the candidate of the ZLP.
In the suits Emodamori listed three grounds he based his argument on.
The first ground, according to Emodamori, was that Ajayi never participated in the ZLP primary election, as the Constitution and Electoral Act clearly state that nobody should be declared as the winner of any election in which he has not participated at all the stages.
The second ground was that Ajayi also (allegedly) presented a forged WASSC to INEC, which he claimed to have obtained as an internal student of Community High School, Mobolorunduro, in the 2004 May/June Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), as his highest academic qualification.
Emodamori argued that Ajayi was the chairman of Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State from 2003 to 2007 in full time service as required by the Constitution, and was never simultaneously an internal student of the secondary school where he claimed to have obtained the 2004 May/June WASSC.
The third ground canvassed by the lawyer was that Ajayi engaged in deliberate falsehood and concealment by stating WASSC as his highest academic qualification in the INEC Form EC9, whereas he has filled the Council of Legal Education Application Form for Call to the Nigerian Bar.
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