| Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun |
Hon Adebiyi Adeleye, another aide of Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun on Tuesday strove to extricate himself from allegations of certificate forgery.
He dismissed his accusers as traducers and opponents.
Adeleye, who is the Special Adviser on Political Matters to Abiodun, said it was ridiculous that some of his opponents were labouring to exhume a “dead” case and present it as a pending matter before the court.
The former member of the Ogun House of Assembly, spoke in Abeokuta following the growing cases of alleged certificate forgery involving some aides of the Governor since he constituted his cabinet in January.
An online medium reported that Adebiyi was appointed as Special Adviser despite being sued at the Federal High Court, Abeokuta for perjury and presenting forged school certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2015 general election.
But denying the allegations, he told reporters that the media reports insinuating that he forged academic credentials were mischievous.
He said he had already been cleared by the court, which had ruled on a suit filed in 2016 by Wasiu Gbadebo and Onamuyiwa Olumuyiwa for themselves and on behalf of concerned members of Remo North State Constituency.
Adebiyi claimed that police investigation had earlier absolved him of any wrongdoing, noting that a Federal High Court, Abeokuta, also dismissed the forgery suit in 2017.
He said: “I wonder why this is coming up now? After serving as local government chairman and there was no issue; serving as an Assemblyman. If as chairman you took me to court and as Assemblyman you took me to court, I won; how many jeopardies?
“I have heard of double jeopardy; I’ve not heard of triple jeopardy. You took me to police, the police vindicated me. You took me to court the first time, the court vindicated me.”
A copy of the court ruling cited by reporters showed that Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed, had in his ruling in suit number FHC/AB/CS/3/2017 dismissed the case against Adeleye on May 26, 2017.
In the said suit, Justice Mohammed held that, “In the same vein, I consider that the Notice of Preliminary Objection dated 15th March, 2017 filed by the 2nd Defendant /Respondent have been taken over by event.
“Consequently, the Plaintiffs’ /Respondents’ Writ of Summons dated 19th January, 2017 is hereby dismissed.”