Human Rights Groups have filed a suit against Ogun State Governor, Prince Adedapo Oluseun Abiodun, over alleged discrepancies in his educational qualifications submitted ahead of the 2014, 2019 and 2023 general elections.
The three Human Rights Groups which are, the Human Global Resource Initiative and the Human Rights Monitoring Agenda, and their Executive Director, Buna Olaitan Isiak, have approached the court, asking it to scrutinize the academic and personal records submitted over the years by Ogun State Governor, Prince Adedapo Oluseun Abiodun.
The suit, marked FHC/L/CS/2026 and filed at the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, names Governor Abiodun, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and several political parties including the APC, PDP, ADC and Labour Party as respondents.
At the heart of the case is the governor’s declaration on oath dated December 15, 2014, in which he stated that he attended the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile-Ife, in 1986 and Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1989.
The claimants are asking the court to determine whether those declarations, submitted to INEC ahead of previous elections, were truthful.
They also pointed to what they described as inconsistencies in his primary school history. In one instance, the governor allegedly stated that he attended International Primary School, Ayetoro, in 1971.
However, in INEC Form CF001, a different school, Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro State Primary School, was reportedly listed.
To the applicants, these differences are not minor clerical errors but issues that require judicial clarification under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Beyond educational history, the plaintiffs are questioning whether the governor participated in the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
They argue that having declared he graduated in 1986 at age 26, he ought to have served under the scheme.
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The suit also raises allegations of a past indictment and imprisonment in 1986, referenced in documents attached as exhibits.
The applicants claim that failure to disclose such information in INEC Forms submitted in 2014, 2018 and 2022 amounts to material concealment under constitutional provisions.
Speaking through an affidavit, Buna Olaitan Isiak said the case was not politically motivated but aimed at strengthening democratic accountability.
“A wrong impression is being created that laws and rules do not count in political contests in Nigeria,” he stated, arguing that such perceptions erode public confidence in electoral processes.
According to him, the organisations engaged a law firm known for public-interest litigation on a pro bono basis to seek judicial interpretation of relevant constitutional and electoral provisions.
The applicants are seeking declarations that the governor is constitutionally disqualified from contesting elections into any public office in Nigeria.
They are also asking for orders restraining INEC and political parties from nominating or recognising him as a candidate in future elections.
The legal team handling the matter is led by Professor Yemi Oke, SAN, alongside Sandra Idedia and Oluwatobi Adeniregun.
As of the time of this report, there has been no official response from Governor Abiodun or the other respondents named in the suit.
For observers, the case goes beyond one political figure. It touches on a broader national conversation about transparency, accountability, and whether electoral declarations are treated as mere paperwork, or as solemn commitments to the Nigerian people.
