A prominent group within the Accord Party, “The Masses Mandate”, has questioned the academic qualifications and leadership capacity of Oriyomi Hamzat, following the presentation of a controversial Certificate of Return purportedly issued to him.
The group, led by its Chairman, Alhaji Ishola Adeyemi, and Secretary, Mrs. Janeth Odesola, expressed concern over what it described as obvious irregularities in the document, arguing that a governorship aspirant should possess the capacity to scrutinize official documents before accepting or publicizing them.
In a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday, the group said the development raises important questions about Hamzat’s attention to detail and preparedness for the demands of public office.
According to the group, the Certificate of Return being circulated by Hamzat lacked the signature of the secretary, a feature it described as essential to the validity and authenticity of such a document.
”You should be intelligent enough to know that any certificate not signed by the Secretary is a ruse,” the statement read.
The group urged members of the public to compare the certificate with similar documents issued in other political circumstances.
”We urge the public to compare and contrast the Certificate of Return presented by the party to Governor Ademola Adeleke, that of Kunle Busari and that of the Allied Peoples Movement presented to Bimbo Adekanmbi. The three were signed by both the Chairman and Secretary, but the one purchased by Oriyomi Hamzat on Tuesday was signed by the Chairman only,” the group stated.
The Masses Mandate noted that leadership requires a high level of diligence, sound judgment and the ability to identify procedural shortcomings, particularly in matters relating to governance and public administration.
The group said it found it surprising that a governorship aspirant could allegedly accept and parade a document containing what it described as a fundamental omission without first seeking clarification regarding its authenticity.
”It is appalling. Is this the type of personality that wants to govern a state as big as Oyo?” the group queried.
The group further maintained that the incident has brought Hamzat’s academic qualifications and analytical ability into public focus, stressing that the management of state affairs requires individuals who can carefully assess documents, policies and official communications before acting on them.
It also urged residents of Oyo State to disregard what it described as a fake Certificate of Return being circulated on various social media platforms, insisting that the document is null and void.
”The people of Oyo State should disregard the fake certificate being circulated on various social media platforms. It is null and void and does not represent the authentic position of the party,” the group stated.
The Masses Mandate further maintained that the Accord Party has only one governorship candidate in Oyo State and cautioned members of the public against being misled by conflicting claims.
According to the group, Hon. Kunle Busari, popularly known as Goodugoodu, remains the party’s authentic governorship candidate and the only individual recognized by the party leadership.
The group consequently called on party faithful and residents of the state to pay close attention to issues of competence, credibility and due process in assessing those seeking elective office, while reiterating its support for Busari’s governorship aspiration.
