Outrage erupts as Ekiti State, renowned for its professors, fields a deputy governorship candidate with an SSCE for the forthcoming governorship election.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Chief Monisade Afuye has ignited fierce debate as the state prepares for its governorship election scheduled for 20 June 2026.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently published candidates’ particulars, including Afuye’s O’level results from her 1978 examination at Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti.
This has prompted sharp criticism from opposition parties, who question her academic credentials and suitability for the role.
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The Publicity Secretary for the South-West zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Sanya Atofarati branded the certificate “embarrassing” and a “slap” on Ekiti State, renowned as the “fountain of knowledge” with a high concentration of academics and professors.
“This is a source of embarrassment for all Ekiti people,” Atofarati said in a statement. “A state celebrated for intellectual prowess deserves better. It’s disheartening that the APC is presenting a candidate with such a record for the sensitive office of deputy governor.”
He added: “Imagine someone who today submits a low-level and unconvincing school certificate being expected tomorrow to represent a governor at meetings of professors and technocrats. Isn’t it dehumanising for such people to be represented by a mere school certificate holder?”
Similarly, the Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gboyega Aribisogan criticised the submitted O’Level results, arguing that Ekiti’s reputation for academic excellence should preclude leadership by individuals with “questionable credentials and low education.”
Aribisogan recalled doubts raised in 2022 when Afuye was first nominated as deputy governorship candidate. “At a point, a group of people went to the archives to verify whether she truly sat for the GCE,” he said.
Allegations emerged that she did not complete studies at the claimed school and sat the examination externally, leading to ongoing concerns.
He warned that the issue could resurface in litigation, potentially disrupting the APC ticket. “As we head into another governorship election, our people are talking again. At the appropriate time, people will do the needful.”
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In defence, Ekiti APC Publicity Secretary Segun Dipe dismissed the attacks as “baseless” and “politically motivated,” aimed at undermining the party ahead of the poll.
Dipe accused opposition parties of “sensationalising” Afuye’s WAEC results to erode public confidence in the APC, insisting that the deputy governor “met all constitutional requirements to contest.”
Similar qualification disputes arose during the 2022 election, when allegations of certificate forgery against Afuye were raised but dismissed by the election tribunal and upheld on appeal, due to insufficient evidence.
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