‘Exam Malpractice’: PDP Reacts To Senator Adeleke’s Summon By Police

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to the police summon of its candidate in the September 22 governorship election in Osun State over alleged examination malpractice among other charges.

The spokesman of the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters, ACP. Jimoh Moshood, had in a press briefing on Wednesday stated that police investigations indicate that the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and his brother, Sikiru Adekele, were involved in examination malpractice and criminal conspiracy in 2017.

Moshood said both brothers allegedly impersonated students of OJO/Aro Community Grammar School in Osun state, by sitting for the National Examination Council Examination (NECO) as internal candidates last year, and therefore must appear at the Force Headquarters to answer questions.

But reacting to the development, the PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, asked the police to stop acting the script of the ruling APC.

Describing the allegation against its candidate as ‘‘laughable’’, the opposition said:

‘‘The sudden realisation of allegations that Adeleke was involved in a National Examination Council (NECO) exam malpractice in 2017, as well as his subsequent invitation by the police, barely two days before the governorship election, is a ploy by the APC to distract the PDP candidate and if possible, put him out of circulation before and during the election.

‘‘While the PDP is in no way against any legitimate effort by any security agency in the discharge of its duties, we totally reject this unrelenting attempt to use trumped up charges to take down our candidate, simply because the APC has realized that he is coasting to victory.

‘‘Perhaps, the police needs to be educated that the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has already confirmed that Senator Adeleke wrote his WAEC examination in 1981, thus ending the earlier unnecessary controversy about his WAEC status.

‘‘Moreover, this is the same police that have not been able to invite the disgraced erstwhile minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, who confessed to having a forged NYSC Exemption Certificate or the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution and Chairman of the Special Investigative Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, whose certificate, WAEC openly told the National Assembly, is fake.

‘‘More so, there are several leaders in APC, whose certificates have been questioned and which the Police have not considered it needful to conduct the littlest investigation.

‘‘The PDP calls on the Inspector General of Police to protect the integrity of the Force by immediately calling his officers hounding Senator Adeleke to order.

‘‘The issue of who becomes the governor of Osun state resides with the people of Osun and nothing should be allowed to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election.’’