Chief Press Secretary to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, has said some politicians were out to blackmail the governor with unsubstantiated allegations.
He said some politicians were behind the allegation of certificate forgery against Governor Aiyedatiwa.
Adeniyan said the politicians resorted to blackmail after failing to paint Aiyedatiwa in bad light with the stories around the death of former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
He alerted the public to the plot to discredit Aiyedatiwa ahead of the coming governorship election. “The first of such is to use faceless groups and individuals to make allegations of certificate forgery against the governor.
“A governorship aspirant last night held a meeting with some individuals at a popular hotel in Akure where he gave the directive to those present to write stories alleging that the governor used forged certificates to contest the election.
“Mr. Governor contested in a joint ticket with his former principal in the 2020 governorship election, and his credentials were duly submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and those are in public domain.
“Any attempt to raise allegations around the credentials of Mr. Governor is nothing but a plot out of the playbook of those who failed in their efforts to impeach him when he was Deputy Governor.
“Mr. Governor remains committed to delivering on his promises to develop Ondo State and will not be distracted by the shenanigans of shameless politicians and their cronies.”
An Ondo State civil rights group, the Ondo State Redemption Initiative (OSRI), had accused Governor Aiyedatiwa of engaging in certificate forgery.
The group said Aiyedatiwa was unworthy to lead the state.
In a statement by its President, Pastor Adebayo Ogunsanmi and Publicity Secretary, Sunday Ayeni, the group said it had uncovered that Aiyedatiwa’s educational claim was a fraud.
It said Aiyedatiwa, in his resume, claimed to have acquired an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Ibadan in 2001.
The group said its investigation showed that an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration was not available at the University of Ibadan as of 2001.
It said Aiyedatiwa’s academic records were not true and cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against fielding a candidate with questionable academic records.