In the documents, the PDP candidate claimed his hometown is Gusau, Zamfara State; meanwhile, Lawal-Dare also presented to INEC, certificates indicating he is from Guga, one village in Katsina State.
An age and name falsification scandal is brewing around Dauda Lawal-Dare, the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Zamfara State, which could see him get disqualified as the flag-bearer of the opposition party in the March 2023 gubernatorial election, SaharaReporters has learnt.
According to documents obtained by SaharaReporters on Saturday, the governorship candidate presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission certificates with different names, different dates of birth, alteration of result, false declaration, false place of birth among others.
Lawal-Dare was in September re-elected as candidate of the party after a Federal High Court nullified the previous primary.
In the documents, the PDP candidate claimed his hometown is Gusau, Zamfara State; meanwhile, Lawal-Dare also presented to INEC, certificates indicating he is from Guga, one village in Katsina State.
The PDP candidate also presented to INEC a primary school certificate bearing the name ADO DAUDA, while the secondary school certificate he presented to the commission has ADO DAUDA LAWAL as his name. Also his university and NYSC’s certificate carry DAUDA LAWAL.
SaharaReporters gathered that Lawal-Dare also went to the Supreme Court where he swore an affidavit that he was born on the 2nd day of September 1965 while the primary certificate presented to INEC bears 2nd September 1964.
Also on the affidavit, he swore with another different name; DAUDA MOHAMMED LAWAL which differs from his certificates.
Checks by SaharaReporters revealed that none of his certificates presented to INEC bears the name he declared before the Supreme Court.
“Dauda Lawal is not from Zamfara State since he presented Documents showing his State of origin which is KATSINA STATE WITH PLACE OF BIRTH GUGA the primary certificate is full of alterations but Mallam Dauda Lawal forgot that in 1977 the period for the completion of primary school are seven years 7years not six years as presented to INEC,” an INEC official told SaharaReporters.
“Dauda Lawal's place of birth is in question, date of birth, primary certificate, secondary certificate, Supreme court affidavit. The documents show that Dauda Lawal the PDP Gubernatorial candidate is using three different certificates of individuals.”
Section 467 of the Criminal Code Act in Nigeria stated clearly the punishment of forgery in general.
Any person, who forges any document, writing, or seal, is guilty of an offence which, unless otherwise stated, is a felony, and he is liable, if no other punishment is provided, to imprisonment for three years.
Also, Section 192 of the Criminal Code Act in Nigeria stated clearly on False declarations and statements states that “Any person who, on any occasion on which he is permitted or required by law to make a statement or declaration before any person authorised by law to permit it to be made before him, makes a statement or declaration before that person which, in any material particular, is to his knowledge false, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.”