By Emmanuel Aziken

It was inevitable that Wednesday’s arraignment of Senator Ademola Adeleke over allegations of malpractise during the last National Examination Council, NECO examination would be seen as another spinoff of the anti-corruption war of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd),

Whether it was prompted by political considerations as some alluded, or not, the fact that someone who allegedly lacks a West African Secondary School Certificate, WASSC was set to become and may indeed, become governor of Osun State is revealing.

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That prospect indeed, underscores the depth to which the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, had lost grace and gravitas since its formation just five years ago. That someone of such frame who could only pass off his dancing skill as his proficiency for governance almost won or possibly won the governorship election would show the extent to which voters in Osun State rate the APC.

Willy-nilly, the administration was swift to address the issue. The swiftness with which the Buhari administration brought its searchlight on Senator Adeleke was dramatically different from the approach of its predecessor when a similar issue surfaced about another lawmaker.

Few years ago, a female lawmaker in the Southeast was caught red-handed when her personal assistant was caught writing the secondary school certificate for her.

However, the matter was not too long after hush-hushed and the lawmaker continued with her lawmaking duties.

Another woman nominated for high office by a former president after years of positive work in the development sector withdrew herself from Senate consideration after issues about her lack of paper qualification oozed out. Remarkably, the same woman was appointed by the Buhari administration and performed brilliantly before moving on to higher offices outside the national government.

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Attempts by legislators and other public officials to forge or cheat to obtain the WAEC certificate is essentially because of the constitutional prescription of WASSC as the minimal qualification for several elective positions. It is perhaps in desperation that many who did not obtain the appropriate certificate while in school go out of the way to procure certificates to meet the qualifications to contest elections or go into political office.

However, despite the thriving state of the Oluwole Forgery market, it is remarkable that only very few of our public officials have been caught. If officials of the Buhari administrations were allowed to have their say, they would have put the blame on the corruption they claim was allowed to bloom during the 16 years that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP held power in the country.

However, they cannot go far with that argument. Indeed, just as the administration’s war against financial corruption has been flayed for its contradictions, the war against certificate corruption as in the case against Adeleke has its nauseating contradictions.

In fact, the mere mention of WAEC has become very touchy for APC members, especially those embedded in the presidency.

Not many in the country today are ignorant of the fact that the Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla is embattled over allegations of forging the secondary school certificate presented to the University of Jos. He has been indicted by both the House of Representatives and WAEC.

Remarkably, he has failed to respond to the indictments. His response is that he has gone to court to stop the House of Representatives in its work. That the administration’s pointsman in the war against corruption is so challenged may be shocking to some. That the administration has been mute over the issue is indeed, untenable!

So when he became the first person to let the cat out of the bag that Senator Godswill Akpabio was defecting from the PDP to the APC, the whole framework of the administration’s anti-corruption war being staged for political considerations gained currency.

Even more profound is the unfolding judicial action by opposition activist, Mr. Ikenga Ugochinyere asking the courts to disqualify President Buhari from the 2019 presidential contest for his failure to present his WASSC.

It is worthwhile that Mallam Garba Shehu has assured that there is nothing to worry concerning the issue. Maybe, the original or a copy of the certificate may have been found. If so, that would be reassuring as it gives a necessary confidence that just as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said this week, that shaku-shaku skills should not become the basis for assessing candidates for high office.

It shouldn’t be.