Osa Director, the National Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has questioned the academic credentials of the Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, claiming there are no verifiable records to support his educational background.
Speaking during an interview on SYMFONI on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Director revisited the controversy that surrounded Oshiomhole's emergence as governor of Edo State, alleging that questions were raised at the time over whether he possessed any academic certificate.
According to Director, when the issue was challenged in court, Oshiomhole said he had not collected the certificate and directed that a copy be obtained from the Ministry of Education.
He said, "Oshiomhole's academic pedigree is wretched. There is no verifiable record of his academic qualifications. That was one of the issues when he became governor. They said he had no academic certificate, and he said he had one. When he was challenged in court, he said he had not collected it and that they should obtain a copy from the Ministry of Education."
He further alleged that the department responsible for the records later caught fire and was never rebuilt throughout Oshiomhole's time in office.
Questions about Oshiomhole's educational qualifications became a major issue during his 2012 re-election campaign.
His opponent, retired Major General Charles Airhiavbere of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), filed a petition before the election tribunal, alleging inconsistencies in the educational documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The petition raised concerns over the dates on Oshiomhole's primary school records, the existence and documentation of Blessed Martins Secondary Modern School, differences in the names appearing on some of his certificates, and whether he met the constitutional educational requirement for the office of governor.
Oshiomhole denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that he had attended adult education programmes, earned a diploma from Ruskin College, Oxford, and also attended the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).
He argued that the Constitution requires a candidate to have secondary school education or its equivalent, rather than possession of a conventional secondary school certificate in every case.
The election tribunal and subsequent appeals did not disqualify Oshiomhole or overturn his victory.
He went on to complete his second term as governor, serving from 2008 to 2016, before becoming National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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