Revealed: Ex Gov. Mimiko Asked Jonathan to Prosecute Buhari for 'Certificate Forgery' in New Book

 

While speaking in his upcoming book: ‘On a Platter of Gold: How Jonathan Won and Lost Nigeria’, Bolaji Abdullahi, a minister under Goodluck Jonathan (2011-2014), alleged that former Ondo state governor, Olusegun Mimiko, wanted presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari prosecuted for “certificate forgery” and disqualified from contesting in the 2015 election.

 

According to TheCable, Mimiko wanted the then attorney general of the federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke to issue a fiat that would have given the power to a private citizen to prosecute Muhamamdu Buhari for certificate forgery which could have led to his disqualification from the election, “or at the very least, disrupt the electoral process”.

 

But Adoke, despite the pressure, refused to initiate process for Buhari's disqualification, hence, he was blamed by supporters and even Patience Jonathan for the eventual loss of the former president.

 

Revealing further, the former minister in his book, claimed that Adoke blocked the move by Mimiko and others after he argued that there was no legal basis to prosecute Muhammadu Buhari.

 

Recall that Buhari had initially claimed that his secondary school certificate was with the military authorities, but they denied having it. He later got a replacement from his alma mater, Government College, Katsina.

 

In the advance copy of the book, Abdullahi described Jonathan as a man who had “a distinct aversion for taking any action that could be regarded as unlawful or illegal”, and as a result of this, the attorney-general became central to most of the decisions the former president had to make.

 

Abdullahi said further that Mimiko was at the forefront of the agitation to have Adoke issue a fiat that would have given the power to a private citizen to prosecute Buhari for certificate forgery which could have led to his disqualification from the election.

 

Adoke stood his ground as pressure grew for him to kick-start the process of disqualifying Buhari a situation that made Jonathan’s supporters, including his wife, blame the attorney-general for the loss.

 

It was also reported that Patience Jonathan called Adoke a “useless man” for not helping to disqualify candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

 

Abdullahi wrote: “Two days after the election, Adoke had gone to see the president in respect of the appointment of a new chief judge for the FCT. While waiting in the outer room, the First Lady walked in. He rose to greet her. But she took one long look at him and hissed: ‘Useless man. You betrayed my husband. Now that he has lost the election, you are happy. 

 

Going further, he wrote: “There were a number of other issues that led many in the president’s immediate political circle to conclude that Adoke was the reason that President Jonathan failed to act with the required toughness on some issues,” Abdullahi wrote.