Amid the controversy rocking his academic records, Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has given a Lagos-based legal practitioner, Oladotun Hassan, a seven-day ultimatum to publicly apologise to him over the latter’s ‘false publication’ about his academic records. 

Mr Aiyedatiwa, in a letter by his lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, on Monday, asked Mr Hassan to publish the apology in at least three national newspapers with wide circulation all over Nigeria. 

The letter noted, “An unconditional withdrawal of all false and malicious publications made of and concerning the West African School Certificate Examination result of our client.

“An unconditional withdrawal of your letters to the Nigeria Police Force in respect of the West African School Certificate Examination results of our Client. An unconditional withdrawal of your letters to the All Progressives Congress in respect of the West African School Certificate Examination results of our client.”

It added “An unconditional withdrawal of your letters to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in respect of the West African School Certificate Examination results of our client.

“Adequate compensation for the false and libellous publications made of and concerning our client based on his status, position in life and political career.

“To cease and desist from authoring, publishing or in any other manner circulating further false and libellous publications of and concerning our client.

“Take notice that if you fail, refuse and/or neglect to comply with the above-stated demands within 7 (seven) clear days of your receipt of this letter, we shall proceed to execute our client’s further instructions to explore all lawful means to seek redress against you without further notice to you,” the letter read. 

Peoples Gazette obtained a copy of the letter titled “Defamatory publications Against Mr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa,” on Monday in Akure, the state capital. 

In the letter, Mr Aiyedatiwa accused Mr Hassan of writing and submitting a petition to the Nigeria Police Force about an unsubstantiated complaint of misrepresentation, certificate forgery, examination malpractice and perjury, against him. 

He noted that Mr Hassan, though, not a registered voter in or an indigene of Ondo State has no requisite locus to ground his complaint against him, saying the petitioner aimed to disqualify him from participating in the governorship primary election of the governing All Progressives Congress.

He added that Mr Hassan in another petition to the national secretariat of the APC wrote with the same purpose of disqualifying him from participating in the party’s primary fixed for April, 20, noting that the petitioner led a vicious campaign of calumny against him with the false publications, all of which brought him into public ridicule.

Noting that the copy of the petitioner’s letter acknowledged by the police had been circulating in the public, the Ondo governor further revealed that the petition against him was brought to his attention by his supporters across the world.

He listed 10 points intended meaning of Mr Hassan’s petition to the police and the leadership of the APC against him including that he’s a “criminal who forged his WAEC certificate, and who is engaged in examination malpractice, perjury and fraudulent misrepresentation and also covering up his criminal tendencies by refusing to explain how he obtained his West African School Leaving Certificate.”

“Your letters to the police and to the APC were all calculated to disqualify him from participating in or contesting the said elections without lawful justification, and to discredit him as unworthy of the votes and support of the people.

“Whereas you are not an officer of the Nigeria Police Force, you have nonetheless set out to hinder and frustrate any thorough investigation into the wild allegations made against our client, all in the bid to compel the police to accept your malicious version against our client.

“The determination of whether a candidate sat for any examination conducted by the West African Examinations Council has been simplified by the organisation through technology, and it is accessible to all,” the governor’s letter read. 

Mr Aiyedatiwa further disclosed that he took steps to conduct a verification exercise on his academic records and confirmed the authenticity of his WAEC results. 

“We challenge you to proceed to do the same with the following particulars: Name of the Candidate: Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, Centre Number: 15592, Examination Number: 019, Centre: Ikosi High School, Ikosi-Ketu, Lagos State, Date of Examination: May/June, GCE O/L, 1982.

“The search will bring out the following results in favour of our client: English Language: 8; Bible Knowledge: 6; Economics: 4; Health Science: 8; Commerce: 3; Accounts: 7; Business Management: 8.”

Mr Aiyedatiwa’s letter to the petitioner came barely three days after the Nigeria Police Force denied producing an investigative report containing a document alleged of fraudulent misrepresentation, certificate forgery and examination malpractice and perjury against the Ondo governor. 

The Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who refuted the claim in a statement last week in Abuja, said the document did not originate from the police. 

“We wish to clarify that the said document did not originate from the Nigeria Police Force. The alleged signatory, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, does not have the authority to release such a report on behalf of the Force Criminal Investigation Department or any other such Departments within the Nigeria Police Force,” Mr Adejobi said. 

Mr Aiyedatiwa, who would face 15 other governorship aspirants of the APC primary, had been facing political opposition over his academic records and school credentials. 

The governor had repeatedly defended his records, saying the “credentials are clean,” adding that he had nothing to hide as he contests the governorship’s seat in the November 16 governorship poll.