°°°Aspirant reacts, says allegations baseless, inaccurate
A legal practitioner, Daisi Onetufo, has petitioned the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, seeking the disqualification of an Ondo State House of Representatives aspirant, Olumuyiwa Daramola, over alleged irregularities surrounding his National Youth Service Corps certificate.
In the petition dated May 6, 2026, and addressed to the APC National Secretary, Nentawe Yilwatda, Onetufo alleged that Daramola obtained an NYSC Certificate of Exemption through “material misrepresentation.”
The petition, which was also copied to the chairman of the APC screening committee in Ondo State and the Inspector-General of Police, was signed by Onetufo and described as a follow-up to an earlier complaint dated April 28, 2024.
According to the lawyer, Daramola recently presented an NYSC Certificate of Exemption dated April 17, 2024, indicating that he graduated from Capella University on December 31, 2021.
Onetufo argued that the exemption certificate was linked to Daramola’s Doctor of Public Health qualification rather than the first degree required for NYSC eligibility. He claimed the politician’s academic records only reflected postgraduate qualifications, including a Master of Science degree obtained in 2016 and a doctorate completed in 2021.
He maintained that under the NYSC Act, exemption considerations are tied to a candidate’s first degree and not postgraduate qualifications. Citing Section 2(2)(a) of the Act, the lawyer noted that graduates above the age of 30 at the time of graduation may qualify for exemption.
The petitioner further alleged discrepancies in the exemption certificate, including the institution attended, course of study, graduation year and age at graduation. He claimed that the certificate listed Public Health as Daramola’s course of study despite no evidence that it was his first qualifying degree.
Onetufo also argued that Daramola completed his Master’s degree at the age of 31, raising further questions about his eligibility under the NYSC law. He described the exemption certificate as “fundamentally defective” and urged the APC leadership to take immediate action, insisting that compliance with the NYSC Act remains a prerequisite for contesting elective positions in Nigeria.
However in his reaction, Daramola explicitly stated that Daramola had dismissed the allegations of discrepancies in his academic certificate, describing it as baseless and inaccurate.
He said, “I don’t see them as allegations. Allegations suggest there is substance. These are just fabricated claims by people who are too lazy to verify facts that are publicly available. I have nothing to hide. My certificates, my graduation records, everything is available. I have worked in the medical field at an international level. These are verifiable facts.
“If anyone has doubts, verification today costs less than ₦15,000 online. Why hasn’t anyone done that if they truly believe these claims?” he queried.
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