News
BREAKING: Like Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu has no WAEC result! Gov lied on oath – Jandor
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State Governor may have a serious challenge to his suitability of remaining in office coming from unusual angle, as it is said that he did not submit his West African Examination Council (WAEC) result to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a prerequisite for eligibility to contest a governorship election in Nigeria.
This expose is coming from Abdulazeez Olajide Adediran, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a development with which he is pressing for the disqualification of the governor and declaration of his votes in the March 18 governorship election in Lagos, wasted.
In one of the legs of the petition before the Lagos State Governorship and House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, insists that the implication of not submitting the said certificate to INEC, was fatal and that the governor had no business contesting the election, let alone being declared the winner.
A guest of The Morning Show, a breakfast programme of Arise News Television, Adediran, told his host that he and his team actually ran a check on the document the governor submitted with the electoral umpire and discovered that the provision for his educational qualification was without the WAEC status, and that another check on the result he provided for the same position in 2019, when he first ran, was non-existent.
Hear him: “When we requested for Sanwo Olu’s form, AC9, that he submitted to INEC as candidate of the party – because after the primaries, you’re given a Form EC9, where you input all your particulars and there is a declaration page, which is the last page, where you under oath, endorse your declarations, we discovered that in the portion where they have school attended with dates where in bracket they say all claims you’ve made must be attached – he said said he wrote WAEC in 1981 and we discovered that he did not attach that WAEC certificate into that. So, that sparked off curiosity. So, we decided to look wide.
“So, what we did, was to order request for the CTC (Certified True Copy) of his 2019 examination and his 2019 Form CF001 – that’s what it was called then. In that form, we then discovered that he made the same claim of writing WAEC in 1981 and then attached a statement of result from Ijebu Ife community Grammar School. You know that statement of result will have a WAEC number and the seat number. So what we did, was to approach WAEC to say we have this statement of result purported to have emanated from you and we want to verify if this candidate really sat for it.
“WAEC said to us, simplified the issue of result verification, because we can’t continue to have embassies and institutions coming to ask us and that what we now have is a scratchcard and anybody can now buy the scratchcard. Embassies now use the scratchcard and institutions now use the scratchcard to input the numbers – that if you have the scratchcard, you’ll be able open our portal. Just put the examination number as claimed by the candidate, the year and everything and it will pop up and give you the result.
“So, we got the scratchcard and put everything in there and we discovered that the result was null and void. No result was found. Nothing! That was according to INEC report. So, we tried with other cards. I tried with my own and it popped up immediately as those of others. The petition is now a public document. The result is there and the WAEC number is there. So, anybody can buy a scratchcard and begin to check whether or not. That already has said something about him (Sanwo-Olu) lying on oath that he sat for that exam that he didn’t sit for.”
From the seat of the Presidency, came what indicates a clear and open support for the camp in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fighting David Mark, National Secretary and Rauf Aregbesola, National Secretary, respectively.
The signal came from Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to President Bola Tinubu, who practically threw his weight behind Leke Abejide, one of the arrowheads wedging the war that could see the main opposition party in Nigeria not presenting a candidate for next year’s presidential election.
Against the backdrop of allegations that Aso Rock has been fuelling the various crises in the major political parties, Gbajabiamila, former Speaker of the House of Representatives and a key ally of President Bola Tinubu, all but clearly stoked the fire by egging the Kogi lawmaker on to launch a fiercer onslaught against the Mark leadership.
Urging Abejide, who had sworn that he would do everything to ensure Tinubu’s re-election not to leave the ADC, through which he won his election to the National Assembly in 2023, but to stay back and fight rather than exiting the party, the ex-Speaker praised him for his resilience so far.
Abejide, who on his own, has thrown his weight behind Nafiu Bala, former Deputy National Chairman of the ADC, now laying claims to Mark’s position was one of those sacked at the convention organised by the Mark group last week.
But Gbajabiamila, who used the Kogi lawmaker’s birthday celebration on Monday to announce his support publicly, while hailing his political trajectory and resilience, including winning his election under the ADC – a relatively less-fancied platform in 2023.
His words: “For a man to contest in a place like Kogi, under a relatively unknown party, and win back-to-back elections, it tells you who that man is. You did not only secure re-election but also helped expand the party’s influence by bringing in other candidates. You’re a committed party man and a fighter.
“My charge to you is to stay in that same party. Fight them. Scatter them. Hold on to your party. Do not abandon them. We like what you are doing. Hold on to your party. Do not abandon it. Continue what you are doing. Win your election there. Nobody can take your party away from you.”
After the hammer from the Mark group, alongside Kingsley Temitope, Obinna Norman, Kennedy Odiong, and Stella Chukwuma, over the allegation of anti-party activities, Abejide dismissed his sack as null and void, coming from a “suya convention.”
President Bola Tinubu and others interested in the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will have to cough out a whopping N100million as fee for the nomination form of the ruling party.
This is coming as the party released details of its scheduled presidential primary election billed for May 15 and 16, 2026, as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Sulaiman Argungu, National Organising Secretary, who released the details of the activities of the party ahead of the nomination for the 2027 polls on its official X handle, including the sale of forms, screening of aspirants, appeals, and primary elections across all elective positions, said informed that the forms go on sale from April 25 to May 2, while the submission deadline was fixed for May 4.
The statement said screening of aspirants would commence on May 6 and end on May 8, with the publication of results slated for May 11 and appeals scheduled for May 12 to 13.
The primaries for the House of Representatives will be held on May 18, the Senate on May 20, State Houses of Assembly on May 21, and the governorship on May 23.
The party pegged the total cost of forms for presidential aspirants at ₦100 million, comprising ₦30 million for the expression of interest and ₦70 million for nomination.
Governorship aspirants are to pay ₦50 million, while fees for the Senate, House of Representatives, and State Assembly vary.
“Female aspirants, youth and physically challenged aspirants are to pay for the expression of interest and 50 per cent of the prescribed nomination fees for each position,” it added.
In the statement, the APC said the timetable was issued in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2026, and the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party reaffirmed its commitment to conducting “credible and transparent primary elections” to strengthen internal democracy.
As of the time for filing this report, no member of the APC has formally declared interest in contesting the presidency.
Some APC leaders and key affiliations of the party have, however, endorsed President Bola Tinubu for re-election.
Although Tinubu has not publicly or officially declared his intention to run for a second term, he had last week dismissed the speculation that he was scared of the opposition ahead of the elections.
“The safety of our citizens rests on our shoulders. You must remain resolute and go after these criminals until they are eliminated. We must make Nigeria safe at all cost,” were the words with which Olufemi Oluyede Chief of Defence Staff, read the riot act for the umpteenth time against insurgents terrorising many parts of Nigeria.
Against the backdrop of renewed attacks in parts of the country days after the killing of Oseni Omoh Braimah a Brigadier General and I.A. Muhammed, a Colonel, each commanding troops in Borno State, one of the hotbeds of the nearly two decades onslaught in separate outbreaks, the CDS told troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA to intensify ongoing operations against the terrorists and other criminal elements in the North-West region, stressing the need to ensure security across the country.
At an operational visit to the Headquarters Theatre Command, Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA (OPFY), in Gusau, Zamfara State, the military boss who said the visit was aimed at assessing operational readiness, addressing challenges confronting troops, and boosting morale in the ongoing campaign to restore peace and security in the region, commended their resilience, courage, and sacrifices in defence of the nation.
Urging the troops to remain disciplined, professional, and relentless in the fight against banditry and terrorism, the CDS, whose encounter was conveyed by Samaila Uba, a Major General and spokesman, at the Defence headquarters was said to have assured the troops of continued support in the areas of welfare, training, and provision of necessary operational equipment to enable them to discharge their duties effectively.
Uba, Director of Defence Information, quoted his boss as reaffirming the commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to sustaining pressure on criminal groups until lasting peace is restored across the North West and the entire nation, acknowledging the importance of air support in ongoing operations.
The Defence Chief, while noting that efforts were underway to enhance operational capabilities through additional platforms and improved coordination across theatres of operations, was said to have paid a courtesy call on the Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, appreciating him for his continued support of Operation FANSAN YAMMA and the military.
ADC: Fight, scatter them! *Presidency goads Kogi lawmaker on Mark’s leadership
Presidency: Tinubu, others to pay N100million for APC nominations
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