Bye-election: APC wants court to disqualify PDP candidate over alleged forged certificate in Lagos

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Lagos asking for the disqualification of Babatunde Gbadamosi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Lagos East senatorial bye-election.

The Lagos east bye-election is coming up on December 5.

The party in the application suit marked: FHC/L/CS/1659/2020, seen by PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, accused Mr Gbadamosi of falsifying his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate in the documents he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The ruling party’s counsel in Lagos, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), also said the PDP candidate made a false declaration on oath regarding his work experience and did not participate in the one-year mandatory National Youth Service (NYSC).

APC in its prayer said Mr Gbadamosi’s June 1985 WAEC Certificate with No: NGSG 228391 presented to INEC “in support of his qualification to contest election to the office of the governor of Lagos State in the 2019 election containing results and subjects materially different from that contained on the official website of the West African Examination Council, is a forged certificate.

“Having submitted a forged WAEC Certificate to INEC, containing results and subjects materially different from that contained on the official website of WAEC to contest the forthcoming 2020 Lagos-East Senatorial District bye-election, is not qualified for election into the Senate.”

The party also prayed the court for an order voiding and or quashing any vote or votes scored by Mr Gbadamosi “for being invalid, null and of no effect whatsoever as votes scored by an unqualified candidate.”

As of the time of this report, no date has been fixed for hearing of the suit.

 

Before now, the Federal High Court in Lagos had fixed December 9, 2020, for hearing in a suit seeking to disqualify Tokunbo Abiru, candidate of APC in the forthcoming bye-election, in a suit filed by Mr Gbadamosi.

The PDP candidate said his counterpart, Mr Abiru, registered twice and possesses two voter cards, an act he said was a violation of Section 31 of the Electoral Act.

The election into the Lagos East senatorial district became necessary following the death of its former occupant, Bayo Osinowo, some months ago.

The election, earlier scheduled to hold on October 31, was postponed to December 5 by INEC following the #EndSARS protests that rocked the country in the month of October.

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