Court Sets July To Decide On Alleged Discrepancies In Abiodun’s Records

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has adjourned a suit filed by three civil society groups challenging the academic and personal records of Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to July 9, 2026.

The case, marked Suit No. FHC/L/CS/2026 and presided over by Justice Aneke at the Lagos Judicial Division, was instituted by Human Global Resource Initiative, Human Rights Monitoring Agenda, and Comrade Buna Olaitan Isiak against Governor Abiodun, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party and other parties.

The originating summons focuses on alleged inconsistencies in documents Abiodun submitted to INEC ahead of the 2014, 2019 and 2023 general elections. The plaintiffs are seeking judicial determination on whether the governor’s sworn declaration dated December 15, 2014 – claiming he attended the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1986 and Kennesaw State University, Atlanta, in 1989 – was accurate.

They are also probing discrepancies in his primary school records, where one document lists attendance at International Primary School, Ayetoro in 1971 while another INEC Form CF001 references a different institution, described as Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro State Primary School in court exhibits.

Further, the suit highlights what the applicants termed “material contradictions, inconsistencies and concealments” in INEC forms submitted in 2014, 2018 and 2022, asking the court to declare if such issues violate Sections 66(1)(i) and 182(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Questions were equally raised about Abiodun’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) participation. The plaintiffs argued that, based on his declared graduation year and age at the time, he ought to have been enlisted in the scheme. They also alleged failure to disclose a purported indictment and imprisonment in 1986, referenced in one of the submitted exhibits, which they claimed amounted to material concealment.

Lead counsel for the plaintiffs, Professor Yemi Oke (SAN), told the court that the matter is purely a constitutional issue aimed at clarifying whether candidates accused of false declarations on INEC forms remain eligible to contest elections. He insisted that the suit is not affected by the immunity clause enjoyed by sitting governors, describing such claims as a fallacy.

“Originating summons are meant for the court to interpret the law and make necessary pronouncements. It has nothing to do with immunity,” Oke said, adding that the Supreme Court has in several decisions held that false declaration constitutes grounds for disqualification from public office.

The respondents are expected to file their counter-affidavits and enter formal appearances before the next adjourned date.

Reacting to the development, Executive Director of Human Rights Monitoring Agenda, Comrade Buna Olaitan Isiak, said the suit goes beyond one individual. “This is not just about the Governor of Ogun State. It is about ensuring that our political system is free from moral corruption and that those in leadership positions are held accountable,” he stated.

Similarly, Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Comrade Adewale Ojo, called for strict adherence to due process. He warned against the normalisation of irregularities in the electoral process, stressing that the action is geared towards strengthening democracy through transparency and accountability.

This latest legal challenge revives questions about Governor Abiodun’s credentials, which first surfaced publicly during his 2019 governorship campaign when he faced similar allegations of discrepancies in his educational claims – though a court at the time declined to disqualify him.