An Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Lagos, Emmanuel Balogun has come out to say that he has never set his eyes on Obaseki’s original certificate.

Emmanuel Balogun recently appeared as a witness in the certificate forgery case of the All Progressives Congress, APC, instituted against Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.

According to him, since he has never seen the governor’s original certificate, he cannot comment on whether it was forged or not.

Meanwhile, briefly after the original certificate was admitted in evidence by court, counsel to the Plaintiffs, Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, pleaded with the court to allow him to substitute it with the photocopy.

His words, “My lord, in view of the nature of the certificate which is very valuable and important, if any mark is mistakenly made on the certificate while it is in custody of the court, it becomes void and universities does not issue replacement certificates.

“That is why we have made photocopy of the certificate which we humbly urge your lordship to substitute in the record for the original certificate”.

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Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki (born 1 July, 1957 in Benin City, Nigeria) is a Nigerian politician and businessman, who is currently serving as the Executive Governor of Edo State. He was sworn in as the governor on 12 November 2016. He was the Chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team inaugurated by former Governor Adams Oshiomole in March 2009.

Born in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, Obaseki is the third child of Late Pa Roland Obaseki and Gbinigie of Owina Street, Ogbelaka Quarters, Benin City. He attended St. Matthew’s Primary School for his primary school education and proceeded to Eghosa Grammar School, in Benin City, for secondary education.

Obaseki thereafter proceeded to the University of Ibadan, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classics. For his mandatory one year National Youth Service, he served in Jos, Plateau State. He later left Nigeria for the United States to attend Columbia University and Pace University in New York, where he obtained an MBA in Finance and International Business.

Obaseki is married to Betsy Bene Obaseki, a financial expert. She holds BSc. and MSc. in Accounting from the University of Lagos, and an alumnus of the Kellog’s School of Business Executive Management Programme, USA. He is an avid golfer.