By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
Barewa College, Zaria, Kaduna State has confirmed that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in Kogi gubernatorial election, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka was a student of the school.
Reacting to an earlier letter which the school was reported to have written in response to an enquiry to verify his history in the school, the Principal, Mallam Alhassan Isyaku apologised that there was an inadvertent mix up.
The letter addressed to the Chairman of the Kogi East Elders Forum, Chief Gabriel Aduku, said its earlier response was an error of omission.
Part of the latter reads “After additional investigation of our archived records I confirm that the Muritala Yakubu with registration number 14667 was a student of the college from 1996 to 1998.
“However he did not sit for WAEC in 1998 in the college, hence the absence of his name in the 1998 WAEC Gazette. I apologise for the error and we are available, should you need further clarification. “
Statement issued by the Director of Communication, The Alhaji Muritala Yakubu Ajaka Campaign Organization, Faruk Adejoh-Aidu, therefore assured supporters that there is no cause for alarm.
“The error of omission by the school was as a result of the fact that the original enquiry was couched to verify the WAEC Certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which Alhaji Ajaka never said emanated from the school.
“Rather it was an external GCE Certificate issued directly to the candidate by the Examination Council.
“The public is therefore urged to disregard the campaign of calumny by desperate individuals based on the earlier erroneous communications”, the statement said.
