Sheriff Oborevwori, speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, said to be Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s preferred choice of a successor, is reportedly enmeshed in alleged falsification scandal, and risks being screened out of the state’s governorship race.
According to a report by NigerDeltaToday, the credentials presented by the speaker in his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship expression of interest and nomination forms for the screening on Thursday were riddled with various forms of discrepancies including those of his names.
The report said there were obvious discrepancies in the names in Oborevwori’s educational certificates and age declaration.
Precisely, the speaker’s educational certificates are said to have five different names, just like those of the former Bayelsa deputy governor-elect, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, who was disqualified on the eve of his swearing-in with then governor-elect of Bayelsa, David Lyon, for forging his credentials, the report said.
The report further noted that from available information, all of the speaker’s educational certificates which tendered and attached to his forms carried different names ranging from his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) to his master’s degree certificate.
For instance, in his FSLC certificate which he obtained in 1977 from Alegbo Primary School, Effurun, (then Bendel State) bears “Oborevwori Francis” not “Sheriff Oborevwori” which he is publicly known today.
Similarly, the speaker’s name in his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate which he obtained from Oghareki Grammar School, Oghara, bears “OBOREVWORI O. FRANCIS ” which is also different from his current names, the medium reported.
Yet, there was also discrepancy in the name in his BSc which he obtained from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, which contained OBOREVWORI SHERIFF FRANCIS as against the names in previous certificates.
Efforts by the medium to speak with the Oborevwori on the allegations against him proved abortive, as he had not responded to inquiries as at Friday.
