President Muhammadu Buhari said he was educationally more qualified than the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in last general elections, Atiku Abubakar.
According to him, Atiku did not have the necessary educational qualification to contest the February 23, 2019 election.
Buhari said he was a far better choice than Atiku to run the affairs of Nigeria and this is because he had attained better educational qualifications through training and courses attended, both within and outside Nigeria.
He, therefore challenged the PDP presidential candidate to produce his “educational certificates, indicating the schools attended by him, with dates,” before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
Buhari’s claims were contained in his reply to the PDP and Atiku’s claim that he did not have a WAEC certificate and was therefore not qualified to lead the country.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on February 27, declared Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, winner of the election.
Atiku and the PDP, however filed a petition before the tribunal for an order nullifying the said victory and declaring them as the true winner of the poll.
Their petition, among others, had relied on the ground that Buhari gave false information about his school certificate in the Form CF001, which he submitted to INEC.
They claimed that Buhari did not possess secondary school certificate as he claimed in the form.
But the President in a reply entered on his behalf on Wednesday by his lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, said he possessed more than the constitutionally required educational qualifications to contest the election insisting that it was Atiku who lacked the prerequisite educational qualification and challenged him to bring proof to the contrary.
He also claimed to have acquired more knowledge, certificates, laurels, medals and experience than Atiku.
“The respondent (Buhari) avers that he is far more qualified, both constitutionally and educationally, to contest and occupy the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria than the 1st petitioner; and that in terms of educational qualifications, training and courses attended, both within and outside Nigeria, he is head and shoulder above the 1st petitioner in terms of acquisition of knowledge, certificates, laurels, medals and experience.
“Respondent states further that it is the 1st petitioner who is not qualified to contest the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and challenges the educational credentials and certificates of the 1st petitioner.
READ ALSO: Holy Thursday Commemorates Beginning of Easter — Cleric
“The 1st petitioner is hereby given notice to produce and tender his educational certificates, indicating the schools attended by him, with dates, ” the statement read in part.
Buhari also denied submitting false information to INEC in respect of his educational qualification.
He quoted his resume as reading, in part:
“Elementary School Daura and Maid’adua – 1948 to 1952;
“Middle School, Katsina – 1953 to 1956;
“Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Daura Government College, Katsina) – 1956 to 1961.”
The document further claimed that Buhari did not, at any time, provide any false information in the Form CF001 submitted to the 1st respondent, either in 2014 or 2018.
“The affidavit of compliance to the 2019 Form CF001 was correct in every material particular.
“In filling Form CF001 in 2014 and 2019, the respondent was not oblivious of the constitutional qualifications stipulated in Section 131 of the Constitution and interpreted in Section 318 of the same Constitution.
“Petitioners themselves are also not oblivious of the fact that the respondent possesses far more than the constitutional threshold expected of a candidate contesting for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” it added.
Buhari, therefore asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition, saying it contained more of pre-election issues, which the Court of Appeal, sitting as a tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain.
