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An Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Lagos, Emmanuel Balogun, on Wednesday, appeared as a witness in the certificate forgery case of the All Progressives Congress, APC, instituted against Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.
Prof Balogun who appeared as the third principal witness, PW-3, told the court that he has never set eyes on Obaseki’s original certificate.
He said he could therefore not comment on whether it was forged or not.
The witness went ahead and tendered the original copy of his own degree certificate in Agricultural Economics, which was awarded to him on July 6, 1979, by the University of Ibadan.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed admitted the certificate in evidence and marked it as Exhibit PL-4.
The witness said he was subpoenaed by the Plaintiffs on December 23 to produce the original copy of his degree certificate before the court.
Meanwhile, shortly after the original certificate was admitted in evidence by court, counsel to the Plaintiffs, Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, applied to substitute it with the photocopy.
He said: “My lord, in view of the nature of the certificate which is very valuable and important, if any mark is mistakenly made on the certificate while it is in custody of the court, it becomes void and universities does not issue replacement certificates.
“That is why we have made photocopy of the certificate which we humbly urge your lordship to substitute in the record for the original certificate”.
Obaseki’s lawyer, Mr. Ken Mozia and that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Razaq Isenalohme, opposed the request, insisting they would make use of the Exhibit in the course of the hearing.
Meantime, under cross-examination, the PW-3, told the court that he got admission into University of Ibandan in 1975 through prelim.
He said as at then, there were students that were also admitted through direct entry, adding that while those that entered through prelim spent 4 years, those that got into the school through direct entry spent only 3 years.
He told the court that the admission process was always documented.
“University of Ibandan had an admission office that dealt with issues that pertained to admission. I never worked in the admission office”, he added. Prof. Balogun said he got appointment in Unilag on September 1, 2006.
“I am an academic staff. I have never also worked in the admission office of University of Lagos.
“I will be surprised that somebody can get admission into the University of Ibadan as at then with only three O’level results or two A level results with a minimum of 2 HSC papers.
“1975 was before JAMB was established and each University had its own policy and criteria for admission, including University of Ibadan.
“Even though the Universities had their preliminary exams, but the exams were structured in such a way that either you enter through O’level or through direct entry.
“Anybody with A’ level did not have to sit for the preliminary exam”, the witness added.
Continuing, he said: “I have never set my eyes on original certificates of the 1st Defendant, Godwin Obaseki.
“Because I have not seen any of Governor Obaseki’s original certificates, I am not in a position to make comments on any of them.
“As at 1976, there were different entry requirements for prelim and direct entry students.
“As at then, admission requirements varied from one faculty to the other
“The basic requirement for admission was 5 credits, including Maths and English, but anyone coming in through direct entry must have made the 5 credits and then choose two subjects in HSC.
“Generally, a certificate is signed by the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar, with a date on it. “Generally, all certificates issued by University of Ibadan are coloured with a coloured logo on it.
“The certificate is usually larger than the normal A4 papers”.
He said if any attempt is made to compress and photocopy a certificate in an A4 paper, some parts of the certificate would be left out and would no longer be a reflection of the original certificate.
After the PW-3 completed his evidence and was discharged by the court, the Plaintiffs, produced a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police and a forensic document examiner, Mr. Raphael Onwuzuligbo, as their next witness.
Onwuzuligbo said he was in court on the strength of a subpoena that was also issued on him. The subpoena was tendered in evidence and marked as Exhibit PL-5.
Attempt by counsel to the Plaintiffs to tender a document that contained report of investigation that was conducted by the witness, was resisted by counsel to the Defendants.
The Defendants argued that the document was neither pleaded nor in the court’s file, insisting that it did not qualify to be admitted as evidence in the case.
They noted that the document was made on November 16, during the pendency of the suit that was filed on July 14.
The Defendants therefore urged the court to reject the document. They argued that the Plaintiff failed to establish the relevance of the document to the case.
Responding, counsel to the APC, Olujimi, SAN, urged the court to dismiss the objections and argued that a document that is needed to prove a fact does not need to be pleaded.
He said the report touched on Obaseki’s certificate that is in issue. The report was admitted in evidence as Exhibit PL-6, though the court held that it would consider objections against its admissibility in the final judgement.
Justice Mohammed adjourned the case till Thursday to enable the Defendants to cross-examine the witness.
The APC had in the suit it jointly filed with one of its members in Edo, Mr. Williams Edobor, alleged that Obaseki forged the University of Ibadan degree certificate he submitted to INEC in aid of his qualification for the election.
In the suit marked FHC/B/CS/74/2020, the Plaintiffs equally alleged that there were discrepancies in the subjects that Obaseki claimed he passed in his West African Examination Council (WAEC) exam and subjects in his testimonial.
Consequently, they are praying the court to declare that Obaseki’s claim in his INEC form EC9 at column C, sworn to on June 29, 2020 at the Federal Capital Territory High Court Registry to the effect that he obtained from the University of Ibadan in 1979, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classical Studies, is false and contrary to Section 31 (5) and (6) of the Electoral Act, 2010.
As well as an order declaring that Obaseki lied on oath when he swore to an affidavit on June 29, 2020 that he worked in Afrinvest Limited from 1994 to 2014 when he retired.
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