Edo 2020: NYSC Corrects Error, Issues New Certificate to Obaseki

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has issued a new discharge certificate to Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki after correcting an error in the spelling of his surname.

Obaseki’s name had been written as “Obasek” instead of “Obaseki” on the earlier certificate.

The NYSC subsequently corrected the mistake and issued a replacement certificate bearing the number A 004280695.

The discrepancy had featured prominently during the screening of aspirants seeking the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the 2020 Edo State governorship election.

The APC screening committee, chaired by Professor Jonathan Ayuba, had cited issues relating to Obaseki’s academic and NYSC documents among the reasons for declaring him ineligible to participate in the party’s primary.

On the NYSC certificate dated August 6, 1980, the committee noted that the document carried the name “Obasek Godwin.”

Although the panel acknowledged that the discrepancy could have resulted from an error by the issuing authority, it said at the time that Obaseki had not taken steps to have the anomaly corrected.

Following his disqualification from the APC primary, Obaseki left the party and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He later secured the PDP governorship ticket and became the party’s candidate for the September 19, 2020 Edo State governorship election.

The newly issued NYSC certificate therefore resolved the spelling discrepancy that had formed part of the controversy surrounding his credentials ahead of the election.