Legislators in politics of fake credentials
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- Category: Inside politics
- Written by hehu Abubakar
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“We noticed the wisdom in the decision of highly respected Nigerian educationists like Professor Jubril Aminu who only declared his Diploma certificate when contesting as a Senator. We all know he is a reputable Professor. But because he didn’t want to declare his PhD so as not to intimidate others with lower qualification, he declared his Diploma. That did not stop him from winning election.
“It is interesting to note that our group as at now has six cases against legislators bothering on certificate forgery at the House of Representatives and some states houses of assembly. One concerns a member of the Zamfara State House of Assembly; two members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly; a member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly and two members of the House of Representatives. A member of the House of Representatives has already been dragged to court.
“We have contacted all the institutions they claimed to have attended. We have established that most of them are actually using fake certificates. We also checked with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and discovered that some of them did not even file the required credentials before contesting the election. One of them is even claiming to have obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) from a Polytechnic about seven years before it was accredited to start issuing HND. It is as bad as that,” he said.
A national daily had recently reported that a retired Comptroller of Customs, Dr. Hussaini Suleiman Kangiwa had in a suit number FHC/S/CS/24/2011 dragged Alhaji Ibrahim Bawa Kamba, a member of the Federal House of Representative representing Arewa/Dandi Federal Constituency of Kebbi State to court. INEC is also joined in the suit filed before the Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto.
In the said suit, Dr. Kangiwa through his Counsel, Chief Steve Nwoke alleged that some of the certificates declared by Alhaji Kamba in INEC form CF: 001 as a pre-condition for contesting election as a member of the Federal House of Representatives were false.
“The plaintiff avers that when applications were made to the National and Kebbi state headquarters of the 2nd defendant (INEC) for the release of the form CF: 001 and the documents in support of the academic credentials of the 1st defendant, the second defendant could only release the form CF: 001 along with a declaration of age and a PDP membership card because, according to them, no documents were attached to it in verification of the academic qualification claimed by the first defendant.
“The plaintiff avers that the only documents found in the first defendant’s file attached to the form CF: 001 were a declaration of age and a PDP membership card. At the trial, the plaintiff will rely on the said form CF: 001 and the two attachments and hereby gives notice to the 2nd defendant to produce the original at the trial.”
At the resumed hearing of the matter at the Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto, the presiding judge, Justice I. M. Sani adjourned the matter until October 5, 2011 for the hearing of the case of perjury. Kangiwa who contested against Kamba under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) told the court that through his Counsel, Chief Steve Nwoke that Hon. Kamba lied under oath by declaring in INEC Form CF: 001 that he obtained Grade II Teachers’ Certificate from Sokoto Teachers’ College in 1975 and National Diploma in Local Government Administration from Sokoto Polytechnic in 1983.
Other educational qualifications claimed to have been obtained, as declared in the Form are Diploma in Management from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto and Higher Diploma in Local Government from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Among the reliefs sought by Kangiwa is a declaration that the 1st Defendant did not obtain the educational qualification that he claimed to have obtained and therefore lied under oath. When the case came up for mention, the 1st Defendant through his Counsel announced that his client was withdrawing the Notice of Preliminary Objection earlier filed to challenge that the case should have been filed at the Election Petition Tribunal and not the Federal High Court.
Ruling on the withdrawal of the Notice of Preliminary Objection, Presiding Justice I. M. Sani said, “The Notice of Preliminary Objection is hereby withdrawn and case adjourned to October 5 2011.”
In another development, a House of Assembly aspirant from Akwa Ibom state, Mr. Alex Imoh told this reporter that he is working along with some notable individuals in the state to sue a member of the House of Representatives from the state for allegedly using a fake certificate. He said the member claimed to have attended the same Secondary school with him and allegedly graduated the same year with him even when neither the aspirant nor any of his colleagues that graduated from the school knows the member.
“We checked through the school records and there was no evidence to suggest that somebody with his name had ever been to that school. We have written to the school for a formal declaration that the shameless member was never in that school but the school is dragging its feet in confirming to us. But we don’t mind dragging all of them to court,” he said.
Articles
Legislators in politics of fake credentials
Category: Inside politics Written by hehu Abubakar Hits: 4999
“We noticed the wisdom in the decision of highly respected Nigerian educationists like Professor Jubril Aminu who only declared his Diploma certificate when contesting as a Senator. We all know he is a reputable Professor. But because he didn’t want to declare his PhD so as not to intimidate others with lower qualification, he declared his Diploma. That did not stop him from winning election.
“It is interesting to note that our group as at now has six cases against legislators bothering on certificate forgery at the House of Representatives and some states houses of assembly. One concerns a member of the Zamfara State House of Assembly; two members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly; a member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly and two members of the House of Representatives. A member of the House of Representatives has already been dragged to court.
“We have contacted all the institutions they claimed to have attended. We have established that most of them are actually using fake certificates. We also checked with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and discovered that some of them did not even file the required credentials before contesting the election. One of them is even claiming to have obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) from a Polytechnic about seven years before it was accredited to start issuing HND. It is as bad as that,” he said.
A national daily had recently reported that a retired Comptroller of Customs, Dr. Hussaini Suleiman Kangiwa had in a suit number FHC/S/CS/24/2011 dragged Alhaji Ibrahim Bawa Kamba, a member of the Federal House of Representative representing Arewa/Dandi Federal Constituency of Kebbi State to court. INEC is also joined in the suit filed before the Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto.
In the said suit, Dr. Kangiwa through his Counsel, Chief Steve Nwoke alleged that some of the certificates declared by Alhaji Kamba in INEC form CF: 001 as a pre-condition for contesting election as a member of the Federal House of Representatives were false.
“The plaintiff avers that when applications were made to the National and Kebbi state headquarters of the 2nd defendant (INEC) for the release of the form CF: 001 and the documents in support of the academic credentials of the 1st defendant, the second defendant could only release the form CF: 001 along with a declaration of age and a PDP membership card because, according to them, no documents were attached to it in verification of the academic qualification claimed by the first defendant.
“The plaintiff avers that the only documents found in the first defendant’s file attached to the form CF: 001 were a declaration of age and a PDP membership card. At the trial, the plaintiff will rely on the said form CF: 001 and the two attachments and hereby gives notice to the 2nd defendant to produce the original at the trial.”
At the resumed hearing of the matter at the Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto, the presiding judge, Justice I. M. Sani adjourned the matter until October 5, 2011 for the hearing of the case of perjury. Kangiwa who contested against Kamba under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) told the court that through his Counsel, Chief Steve Nwoke that Hon. Kamba lied under oath by declaring in INEC Form CF: 001 that he obtained Grade II Teachers’ Certificate from Sokoto Teachers’ College in 1975 and National Diploma in Local Government Administration from Sokoto Polytechnic in 1983.
Other educational qualifications claimed to have been obtained, as declared in the Form are Diploma in Management from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto and Higher Diploma in Local Government from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Among the reliefs sought by Kangiwa is a declaration that the 1st Defendant did not obtain the educational qualification that he claimed to have obtained and therefore lied under oath. When the case came up for mention, the 1st Defendant through his Counsel announced that his client was withdrawing the Notice of Preliminary Objection earlier filed to challenge that the case should have been filed at the Election Petition Tribunal and not the Federal High Court.
Ruling on the withdrawal of the Notice of Preliminary Objection, Presiding Justice I. M. Sani said, “The Notice of Preliminary Objection is hereby withdrawn and case adjourned to October 5 2011.”
In another development, a House of Assembly aspirant from Akwa Ibom state, Mr. Alex Imoh told this reporter that he is working along with some notable individuals in the state to sue a member of the House of Representatives from the state for allegedly using a fake certificate. He said the member claimed to have attended the same Secondary school with him and allegedly graduated the same year with him even when neither the aspirant nor any of his colleagues that graduated from the school knows the member.
“We checked through the school records and there was no evidence to suggest that somebody with his name had ever been to that school. We have written to the school for a formal declaration that the shameless member was never in that school but the school is dragging its feet in confirming to us. But we don’t mind dragging all of them to court,” he said.