The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, certificate of Monisade Afuye, the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress, APC, deputy governorship candidate, has continued to spark mixed reactions.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has
fixed June 20, 2026, for the Ekiti governorship election.
The certificate, which forms part of the particulars
submitted by all governorship candidates and their deputies, was recently
released and pasted by the state INEC.
The viral secondary school result cited showed that Afuye
sat for the WAEC examination at Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti, in June
1978.
According to the only academic certificate submitted by the
deputy governor, four subjects were recorded, with her scoring passes in
History and Mathematics, and credits in Economics and Literature-in-English —
making two credits and two passes.
The deputy governor’s certificate has elicited a flurry of
reactions and counter-reactions from opposition parties, including the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), questioning
her suitability for public office, while the APC has dismissed the criticisms
as politically motivated.
Expressing concern over the academic credentials of the
deputy governor in a statement on Sunday, the South-West PDP Publicity
Secretary, Chief Sanya Atofarati, described it as “embarrassing” and a “slap”
on Ekiti State, a state widely known as the fountain of knowledge and a centre
of intellectual excellence.
“This is a source of embarrassment for all Ekiti people. A
state widely celebrated for academic excellence and 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.
“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. What exactly does such a person have
to offer?”
“Ekiti is known nationwide as a state of scholars, a state
with one of the highest concentrations of professors. It is often said,
jokingly but truthfully, that almost every household has a professor. Isn’t it
dehumanising for such people to be represented by a mere school certificate
holder?” he queried.
Also, Gboyega Aribisogan, the state Publicity Secretary of
the African Democratic Congress, faulted the O’Level result submitted, saying
that Ekiti State, regarded for its academic reputation, should not be led by
people with questionable credentials and low education.
“In 2022, when she was announced as the APC deputy
governorship candidate, some members of her own party openly discussed the
doubts surrounding her qualification.
“At a point, a group of people went to the archives to
verify whether she truly sat for the GCE. What later emerged was that she did
not complete her education at the said school she claimed to have attended. Her
colleagues from the school reportedly said she did not finish there. Rather,
she sat for the GCE outside the school, and that is where the problem of a
doubtful certificate started.
“Many of our professionals and alumni spoke out against her
nomination then, but because of the dictatorial tendencies within the APC party
structure at the time, the issue was swept under the carpet and she was imposed
as deputy governor.
“As we head into another governorship election, our people
are talking again. At the appropriate time, people will do the needful, and
this could lead to another round of litigation that may truncate the ambition
of both the governor and the deputy governor,” he added.
In response, the Ekiti APC Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe,
however dismissed the criticisms as baseless, politically motivated, and a
desperate attempt by opposition parties to gain relevance ahead of the June 20
governorship election.
While accusing the opposition parties of “sensationalising”
Afuye’s WAEC results to undermine public confidence in the APC, Dipe insisted
that “the deputy governor met all constitutional requirements to contest as
deputy governor.”
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