Obaseki: University of Ibadan ends certificate controversy

The University of Ibadan has announced that Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, graduated with a legitimate certificate issued by the institution.

Doubts were recently raised by a faction of Obaseki's All Progressives' Congress (APC) about the authenticity of his first degree certificate which he presented before he was elected.

The party's National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, said this week that the APC's screening committee should investigate the scandal, casting doubts on the governor's credentials.

However, in a statement on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 UI's Registrar, Olubunmi Faluyi, said Obaseki gained admission to the institution in 1976 to study Classics, and graduated in 1979 with a Second Class Honours, Lower Division.

"Records of his Admission and Graduation are intact in the archives of the University," she said.

In his reaction to the statement on his Twitter account, Obaseki said, "Posterity will always vindicate the just."

Governor Godwin Obaseki (left) is battling for a second term while at loggerheads with his former ally, Adams Oshiomhole (right), who is currently the national chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) [ThisDay] Pulse Nigeria

Obaseki was first elected governor in 2016 with the full backing of Oshiomhole, his predecessor.

The two have since had a very public falling out, with Oshiomhole known to be using his influence as party chairman to try and replace Obaseki who's contesting for a second term.

With the Edo governorship election scheduled for September 19, 2020, Obaseki faces an uphill battle to secure the party's ticket.

Last month, the APC's National Working Committee (NWC), headed by Oshiomhole, granted a waiver to Osagie Ize-Iyamu to contest in the party's primary election.

Ize-Iyamu, contesting on the platform of the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), lost to Obaseki in 2016, before he joined the APC late last year.