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The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last night broke its silence on the allegation of certificate forgery levelled against its governorship candidate in the 2019 general elections, Hon. Razak Atunwa.
Atunwa is currently a member of the House of Representatives for Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency.
The PDP said its gubernatorial flag-bearer had absolved himself of the allegation, which was at the instance of a report by Premium Times, an online newspaper.
The newspaper had alleged in its report that Atunwa submitted forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate to the PDP as part of his credentials during the governorship primaries of the party.
However, the state PDP Chairman, Engineer Abdulrauf Kola Shittu, in a telephone interview with The Herald last night, said the governorship candidate had defended himself over the allegation.
Shittu expressed the hope that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will soon clarify issues surrounding the certificate scandal.
Shittu said, “Our governorship candidate had defended himself that he didn’t submit any forged NYSC certificate. INEC will tell us what he had submitted very soon. If there is anything contrary, we are still watching. He had defended himself. I think that will be enough for now”.
The Herald recalls that Atunwa had, in swift response, denied as untrue and unfounded the online newspaper’s report that he forged his NYSC certificate.
He clarified that he did not submit any unsupported NYSC certificate as reported in the online medium.
“I did not submit any unsupported NYSC certificate as suggested by you (Premium Times).
“I strongly advise that you verify each and every assertion you wish to make. You may wish to make formal enquiries/verifications of all institutions concerned.
“You should also be circumspect enough to authenticate the provenance of any document you may be handed if it’s not from a formal and official source.
“An organization such as yours should not fall short of the required legal and ethical standards”, Atunwa said.
