The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the candidate representing Surulere Constituency II in the Lagos State House of Assembly on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mrs. Mosunmola Sangodara, did not attach her school certificate while submitting her form.
An INEC officer in charge of Surulere Constituency, Mrs. Erhokpeadmwen Rita Awhefeda, made the allegation on Thursday while standing as a witness before Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
Awhefeda was testifying in a suit filed by another APC aspirant, Mr. Olasunkanmi Shittu, who in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/1468/2022, prayed the court to disqualify Sangodara and declare him as the APC candidate for the 2023 elections.
Shittu in the suit listed INEC, Sangodara and the APC as the 1st to 3rd defendants.
Shittu’s counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), who cross-examined Awhefeda at the resumption of the proceedings, confronted the INEC officer with INEC form EC9 and asked her to explain to the court whether all the conditions therein were mandatory or not, to which Awhefeda responded in affirmative.
The plaintiff’s counsel further asked Awhefeda if Sangodara filled and attached the educational certificate columns, to which the witness answered “no”.
Pinheiro further asked Awhefeda to confirm if the APC candidate, Sangodara has properly met INEC conditions by not filling the educational certificate columns, which is part of requirements for qualification and she “No she did not comply.”
In his ruling, Justice Oweibo held that everybody must be prepared to make sacrifices in the interest of justice, going by a recent directive of the Chief Judge who has formed a task force on pre-election matters.
The judge adjourned till Friday for Sangodara to give her evidence.
SaharaReporters had reported that the Deputy Registrar of Yaba College of Technology, Mr. Olufunmi Dada, at the last proceedings had testified before the court, saying that the Sangodara did not graduate from the school as an HND holder as she claimed.
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