- He has enough education, experience to contest 2019 Presidency- ACF
The Nigerian Army has said that Nigerians should stop asking the military authorities about the academic certificates of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Army said it had nothing to say concerning the whereabouts of President Buhari’s credentials.
As in the run-up to the 2015 general elections, Buhari has once again failed to attach the necessary supporting documents, including his academic certificates, to his Presidential nomination form submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2019 general
elections.
Out of the over 70 presidential candidates of the various political parties listed by INEC to partake in next year’s polls, only Buhari failed to present his academic certificates. The credentials of the various candidates were made available to journalists last Thursday by INEC.
But Buhari insisted that his own credentials were still in the custody of the military.
In an affidavit, which he swore to, he said, “I am the above named person and the deponent of this affidavit herein. All my academic qualifications documents as filled in my Presidential form, APC/001/2015 are currently with the Secretary of the Military Board as of the time of this affidavit.”
But the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Texas Chukwu, who apparently got angry when our correspondent asked him on the phone questions concerning President Buhari’s claims about having his credentials in the custody of the military, said sternly, “Mr. man, don’t ask me about the President’s credentials. Don’t ask me, please. Don’t ask me about the President’s credentials,” before cutting off the call at his end.
The Secretary General of the umbrella Northern socio-political Organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, Mr. Anthony Sani, said that Nigerians should stop disturbing themselves about Buhari’s academic qualifications.
Sani added that the President must have had enough education to meet the educational requirement for any Nigerian to contest the Presidency of the country, especially having qualified to join the Army, where he served for so many years and rose to the top echelon.
The ACF secretary general said, “I do not think one should waste his time on this issue, considering the requirement to stand election is minimum of secondary education or its equivalent, or ten years of work experience after primary education. Some of Buhari’s class mates in secondary school are still alive and can testify to his attendance in the secondary
school.
“The Army has said even though it has no certified copy of WASC in its files for Buhari, it said the usual practice in the army is to verify the claims of education before enlistment. That is to say, the army must have verified the claims by Buhari before enlistment.
“Buhari has attended so many courses within and without Nigeria. He has also held public offices like GOC, governor, minister, head of state, chairman of PTDF and now President. If all these do not qualify him to stand for the election in 2019, I begin to wonder.”
Also speaking on the matter, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Solomon Asemota, said, “We have had this certificate thing for too long; I don’t know whether it is necessary for us to continue. If he has a certificate, he would have produced it and if he doesn’t have, then those who are anxious should know what to do. That is
all.”
