Anthony Iwuoma
The chances of Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle of Zamfara State to contest next year’s gubernatorial election in the state may be hanging on the balance and seriously threatened by a suit filed by a pressure group, Northern Youth Assembly (Majalisar Matasan Arewa), contesting his eligibility or otherwise to take part in the electoral exercise.
The case which was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, was transferred to the Federal High Court, Gusau and has been listed for mention on Tuesday 4 October, 2022.
In the suit, the group is alleging serious inconsistencies in the birth and academic certificates of the governor, who is seeking reelection.
Documents averred by the group show three different dates submitted on three occasions, as the birth dates of Matawalle; his academic records also have similar discrepancies.
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Among other issues, the petitioners are accusing Matawalle of presenting different documents to INEC for the 2015 and 2019 elections as regards his secondary school qualifications and his date of birth, which they claim were inconsistent due to alleged falsification.
Theregore, the group is contending that the governoor had committed perjury and dies not have the valid minimum for the office of s governor, which the constitution stipulates to be secondary school certificate.
Matawalle’s uncle, Alhaji Bala S. Kaya Maradun, had in a statutory declaration of age, attested that Bello Mohammed was born at Maradun in Maradun district in Zamfara State, on 12 February 1962. The document was duly signed and stamped by the High Court in Zamfara State on 11 May 2022.
However, another document from the State Ministry of Education carries 29 February 1962 as the date of birth of the governor. More so, Matawalle had in an affidavit obtained from the High Court in Abuja, testified that his correct date of birth was 12 February 1962 and not February 12, 1969. His international passport carries passport number A50445292 issued on 6 July 2017 with an expiry date of 5 July 2022 bears 12 February 1962 as his date of birth.
More confusion is noticeable in the certificates submitted to INEC by the governor, including a technical certificate by the Ministry of Education, Sokoto State division of Science and Technical Education Vocational Training Centre, Bunza. It is clearly indicated in the result issued in 1985 that Mr Bello, with examination number 005, was born on 29 February 1962.
The governor’s case could not be helped by his date of birth as contained in the National Examination Council (NECO) result submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2023 election, as evidence of the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). The certificate said that Bello Mohammed Matawalle with registration number 82806985CC sat for June/July 2018 NECO at Universal Academy, Kaduna with Centre number 0140300. His date of birth on the document is 28 February 1979.
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Matawalle’s NECO documents also seem to suggest he wrote the 2018 NECO examination as a full-time student. The governor submitted to INEC a certificate of the NECO internal, which requires a student to start schooling from SS1 to SS3, implying that he wrote the examination with the regular SS3 students after going through the entire school sessions with them.
In separate records obtained from verified sources, Governor Matawalle reportedly sat for the June/July 2018 NECO with four of his female children, Bello Aisha Matawalle, Bello Kausar Matawalle, Bello Yuhanasu Matawalle, and Bello Zainab Matawalle at the same Universal Academy in Kaduna State.
In the light of these contradictions, the petitioners are asking the court to among others, determine whether Matawalle indeed sat for the 2018 NECO in person or that he did so via a proxy or procured the certificate through other unlawful means.
The Northern Youth Assembly, which is represented across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, is certain that it possesses irrefutable documentary evidence to prove a case of forgery and perjury against Matawalle.
The National Assistant Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr. Mohammed Hussaini Bauchi, in a statement disclosed that the legal team for the Assembly, in the case, which is is officially billed for mention at the Federal High Court, Gusau, Zamfara State on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, shall be led by Mr K. M. Nura Esq, who will be assisted by other lawyers.