We didn’t see Adeleke in exam hall – NECO supervisors

Ebun Francis

The legal troubles of Senator Ademola Adeleke continued on Wednesday as two witnesses in the ongoing trial of the Senator, Emmanuel Adesola and Enoch Adigun, said they did not see the senator in the examination hall during the 2017 NECO examination in Osun State.

The witnesses, who invigilated the National Examination Council (NECO) examination at Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Osun in 2017, and led in evidence by Simon Lough, a prosecutor, made the disclosure at the trial of the Senator over alleged examination malpractice at the federal high court in Abuja.

Adesola told the court that he had been supervising NECO for the past five years and would have recognised Adeleke, who is a public figure, if he was in the examination hall.

According to him, there were only four elderly students in the hall.

He said, “I could not identify any student without the school album since it was my first time there. So, the principal and the registrar helped me to identify them as I used the list I had to call the students into the hall.”

“I didn’t see any of the defendants in the examination hall. Senator Adeleke was not in the examination hall. He is a public figure, so, I would have recognised him.”

Adigun, the second witness, said he saw Sikiru Adeleke, the second defendant, but did not see the senator in the examination hall while he was invigilating.

“I was surprised to see him (Sikiru Adeleke) because he was the most mature student in the hall. But when I checked and saw that he had an identity card duly stamped by the school, I had to allow him to write the examination,” Adigun said.

Inyang Ekwo, the judge, has adjourned the case till June 10 and 11 for further hearing.

Senator Adeleke was first arraigned by the federal government, alongside Sikiru, his brother, over examination malpractice in September 2018.

Earlier in the week, an Abuja high court had ruled that Adeleke was not qualified to contest the September 2018 election on the ground that he did not possess a school leaving certificate.