ON PRESIDENT BUHARI AND HIS CERTIFICATE SAGA
Segun Ogunlade
For the umpteenth time, President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to attach his educational credentials to the form he submitted at the headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). His reason? The same he has been given since he started contesting for the presidency in 2003 that they are with the Nigeria Military. A good student of history would recall that a similar brouhaha was witnessed in 2014 and it dragged on till June 30, 2016. His defence has always been that the original copies of his diploma were lost during the time General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida toppled his military government and his was raided. That was thirty-three years ago. One would have thought that the president would have done the needful by writing the Military asking for copies of his credentials since he is so sure they are with the military.
Even though he had made the same claim thrice before 2015 general election, it however became a matter of public discourse in 2014 when it was sure he would win the election. It would be recalled that Cambridge University, when the matter was laid bare in the public in 2014 categorically failed to publicly declare the result. According to the university, only President Buhari could request for a public disclosure of his result. Instead of President Buhari to have requested for it then, he instead settled for a Cambridge West African School Certificate examination result that many immediately questioned its authenticity. The military he claimed were with his credentials had said they do not have them as the president claimed, even though they had earlier admitted that they had it with them.
According to the Nigerian Military, it only had a recommendation letter from Buhari’s principal at Katsina Provincial College; results grades without either the statement or certificate. Buhari in his self-defence claimed that he finished high school and passed at Division Two level. Cambridge University also lent some credence to Buhari’s claim by confirming that Hausa Language was part of the 1961 examination as shown on the controversial result that President Buhari produced in 2014. The university also confirmed that while the remark for grading 1 to 6 is a Credit Pass; 7 and 8 is Pass; and 9 means failure but nothing more was said about Buhari or his result by the university. That was over four years ago now. Buhari had never written to the university to publish his result neither has he retrieved his said credentials from the military. If he is so sure, he could obtain photocopies of his credentials from the military if it would not release them to him.
Again in 2015 after he had assumed office as the president, ten lawyers and thirteen Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) defended him in a court suit filed against him at an Abuja court by Mr Nwokocha-Ahaiwe asking the court to nullify his election as the president of the country. The SANs that rallied round the president included Wole Olanipekun, Femi Falana, Rotimi Akeredolu, and Muiz Banire. The suit which was later dismissed was on the ground that President Buhari did not possess the minimum educational requirement to make him the number one citizen of the country whilst it was also being alleged that he never sat for the Cambridge West African School Certificate examination in 1961 as he had been claiming. One would wonder which one was easier for the president to do then – hiring thirteen Senior Advocates of Nigeria and ten lawyers to defend his claims or writing to Cambridge requesting his certificate.
The case was dismissed on the 30th of June, 2016. That was well over two years ago. Thereafter, the President has had the chance to write Cambridge to either publish his results so he could shame his critics or collect it on one of his numerous vacations to the United Kingdom. This, he could attach it to his form since he knew since the time he won the last presidential election that he would seek re-election and it would be required of him. This seemingly nonchalant attitude of the president puts a question to the back of the integrity on which he rode to Aso Villa in 2015.
But with all these controversies locking horns and many calling for his outright disqualification from next year’s poll, what does the Constitution say about the person contesting for the post of the president? Going by Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution, a person is qualified for election to the office of the president if:
“He is a citizen of Nigeria; he has attained the age of forty. He is a member of a political party and he is being sponsored by that political party; he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”
Section 138 of the same Constitution says School Certificate or its equivalent means either of the following:
a. A Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent or Grade II Teacher’s Certificate, the City and Guilds Certificate; or
b. Education up to Secondary School Certificate level; or
c. Primary Six Leaving Certificate or its equivalent and –
I. Service in the public or private sector in the Federation in any capacity acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission for a minimum of ten years; and
II. Attendance at courses and training in such institutions as may be acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission forb periods totalling up to a minimum of one year, and
III. The ability to read, write, understand, and communicate in the English language to the satisfaction of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
d. Any other qualification acceptable by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Based on the foregoing, President Muhammadu Buhari is not worthy of being disqualified from next year’s poll as he had met all the constitutional requirements for contesting for the presidential position. Of course, the problem is not with the constitutional provisions but the inability of the president to provide his credentials but instead swearing an affidavit that he has them with the Military. If that is true, one may begin to wonder what concerns INEC with the location of the credentials. The electoral provision is for the all the aspirants to attach their credentials to the forms that would be submitted to the electoral body. It is not the job of the INEC to help get his credentials from the military for other aspirants did not direct the electoral commission to their previous employers for copies of their credentials.
Instead, they confidently attached them to their forms without raising any dust. If he has the result as he claimed, there is nothing stopping him from writing the military demanding his credentials. After all, he is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces which means he has some considerable power over their affairs. Of course, this is not a matter of national interest colluding with rule of law wherein one could say the president thought it a matter of national interest not to present his credentials when needed. Though the law was clear on the failure of any aspirant to submit his credentials, it is left for INEC to decide what would be done to President Buhari.
However, be assured that he would not be disqualified from the presidential election because of his consistent failure of the to submit his credentials backing his claim of being an educated fellow. Rather, he would contest again like he has always done without proper clarification on his educational credentials.
After all, Nigerians have always put up with certificate scandal from the dawn of our democracy in 1999. In the age of politicization of institutions, it would be unthinkable for anyone to think that the INEC chairman would turn against his boss when he needed him most, not when he had a meeting at the Aso Villa with some of Buhari’s inner circle fellow. And if Buhari wants INEC to get his credentials from the military instead of him doing that, it would only confirm his disaffection for the rule of law. It would not take anything from the president if he requested the military to turn in his credentials. President Buhari should remember that people have moved from that era in which they would vote for someone with a “certificate issued by NEPA” so Goodluck Jonathan could be ousted as the landlord of Aso Villa. Many people are ready to vote against him in the election. Controversial issues like these are automatic catalyst for anti-Buharist to drive their point home that he should leave the Aso Villa come next year and retire to his village home in Daura. After all, he is an old man that is far from 21st century realities.
