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…Says school, NECO records should determine truth
From Abel Leonard
Hon. Obadiah Orobo, a close associate of Senator David S.U. Jimkuta, has challenged Major General A.T. Ibrahim (retd.) to produce evidence to substantiate his allegation that the senator forged his secondary school certificate.
Orobo, in a statement made available to Daily Sun on Sunday, was reacting to Ibrahim’s petition to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in which he allegedly accused Jimkuta of submitting a forged secondary school certificate and making false declarations to the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ibrahim, who contested the APC senatorial primary for Taraba South, reportedly dated his petition September 21, 2026, alleging that Jimkuta submitted a forged secondary school certificate and made false declarations to the party and INEC.
But Orobo said allegations as serious as certificate forgery should not be treated as established facts without credible evidence and proper verification. He urged Ibrahim to produce the documents and evidence upon which the allegation was based, rather than allowing the matter to be determined by political claims.
“I am a close associate of Senator David Jimkuta and I make no pretence about that relationship. But being his associate does not mean that facts should be ignored or that serious allegations should be accepted without evidence,” Orobo said.
He added: “If there is evidence that Senator Jimkuta forged any certificate, let that evidence be presented to the appropriate authorities. The relevant examination body and the school records are available for verification.”
Orobo’s position followed a separate intervention by members of the Government Secondary School (GSS), Wukari, 2000 graduating set, who disputed the allegation and said Jimkuta was their classmate.
The former classmates said they returned to the school to verify the records following the controversy and found Jimkuta’s name among the graduating students.
One of them, Haruna Magaji, reportedly said: “We have once again visited the GSS to be sure of what Gen. Ibrahim has petitioned against the senator. We collected the gazette and conducted a thorough check. Senator David Jimkuta’s name is number 98 on our list.”
The former classmates maintained that Jimkuta graduated with them in 2000 and called for the relevant records to be used to settle the controversy.
Reacting, Orobo said the claim by the former classmates made it even more important for the appropriate institutions to establish the facts.
“If the issue is about the authenticity of a particular NECO certificate, then let NECO speak through its records. If the issue is whether Senator Jimkuta attended and graduated from GSS Wukari, then the school records should speak,” he said.
“What we should not do is turn an allegation into a conviction.”
The senator’s associate also said Jimkuta’s record in office should not be ignored as the controversy over the certificate allegation unfolds.
According to him, the senator has, within his three-and-a-half years in office, pursued interventions covering education, healthcare, agriculture, youth empowerment and constituency development across the five local government areas of Taraba South.
He cited educational interventions, including support for students and JAMB candidates, scholarships and other forms of assistance to constituents.
He also listed empowerment programmes involving vehicles, motorcycles, sewing machines, irrigation equipment and other productive assets, saying the initiatives were designed to support constituents in becoming economically productive.
Orobo further cited Jimkuta’s agricultural interventions, including the distribution of farm inputs and equipment to farmers across Wukari, Ibi, Donga, Takum and Ussa, as part of efforts to boost agricultural production in the senatorial district.
On legislation, he said Jimkuta had also been involved in initiatives concerning education, agriculture, infrastructure and community development, including efforts relating to the Federal University Wukari and other institutions in the senatorial district.
He, however, stressed that citing the senator’s achievements was not intended to shield him from scrutiny over the certificate allegation.
“This is not a call for anybody to shield Senator Jimkuta from scrutiny. Public officers must be accountable and their records must be examined. But scrutiny must be based on facts and verifiable documents,” Orobo said.
He challenged Ibrahim to take the evidence supporting his allegation to the appropriate authorities for determination.
“Our appeal is simple: produce the evidence and let the appropriate authorities examine it. If there is a contrary record from the school or NECO, let it be made public. That is how responsible political engagement should work,” he stated.
Orobo said political competition ahead of the 2027 elections should be based on issues, records and verifiable facts, rather than allegations that had not been established by the relevant authorities.
“Taraba South deserves a political contest centred on development, representation, accountability and verifiable facts,” he said.
“Serious allegations should not substitute for evidence.”
Daily Sun reports that the controversy comes as Jimkuta prepares for the 2027 senatorial election on the platform of the APC, following his emergence from the party’s primary.
