Buhari: Certificate Nuisance

The controversy over the failure of Muhammadu Buhari to make public his educational qualification has been turned into an issue but the general and his party affirm that they would not dignify what they claim is a non issue.
It all started just over a week ago when the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the course of its statutory obligations published the details of the presidential candidates and in the place of the educational qualification of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari listed an affidavit.
Buhari, the All Progressives Congress, APC presidential candidate had in the affidavit deposed thus:
“I am the above-named person and deponent to this affidavit therein. All my academic qualifications documents as filled in my presidential form, President APC/001/2015, are currently with the Secretary, Military Board as of the time of presenting this affidavit. The affidavit is made in good faith and for record purpose.”
The use of an affidavit in the place of a certificate had immediately roused suspicion from the general’s political rivals who sought to use the issue to rake mud against a candidate that is making his boldest challenge for the country’s presidency.
Educational qualifications
Given the sterling educational qualifications of his chief rival, President Goodluck Jonathan who holds a doctorate degree in zoology, it was tempting for some to make a big issue of the alleged failure of the APC candidate to produce a certificate. Or was there a doubt as to the claim that Buhari, acclaimed to have been head boy at the famous Katsina College and who subsequently attended some of the world’s best military institutions did not have any certificate to show for his endeavours?
The issue was not helped by the seemingly lacklustre response of the Buhari campaign to the issue. Questions put to campaign officials were deflected as one spokesman told Vanguard to make enquiries to the military board to which Buhari claimed to be in possession of the certificate.
Military officials who initially denied possession of the certificate were to later admit having copies of the former head of state’s credentials as they did for every other retired and serving military official. Sources close to the candidate say that the originals of his certificates were vandalised after the time he was removed as head of state and that the only copies available at the moment are those with the military board.
Remarkably, investigations revealed that Buhari had in the last three presidential contests he partook in, 2003, 2007 and 2011, had consistently used affidavits in the place of the certificates. How the issue became topical this time around in the opinion of some stakeholders is essentially because of the good prospects Buhari has in next month’s presidential election.
Remarkably, the PDP has officially not entered the fray but it is not as if sympathisers of the party and its chieftains are not trying to make a kill on the issue they believe could jeopardise the chances of the greatest threat to the party’s domination of the federal government.
Remarkably, a close aide of Buhari laughed away the matter saying that the campaign would not waste time or energy to go down to the mud with its traducers. A member of the APC presidential screening committee, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, brought another twist to the development in his own response to the issue. Abayomi, a lawyer affirmed that Buhari was screened and found qualified for the office of the president.
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He nevertheless brought a twist when he affirmed that the issue of the submission of a certificate was not an issue. His assertion was in line with that of INEC which said that it did not have the powers to screen or disqualify a candidate on the basis of qualification.
In affirming that Buhari was screened and met the qualifications for president, Abayomi had put the poser as to whether presenting “his school certificate or its equivalent met the education precondition set for Presidential Candidates in the Constitution?”



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