By Dayo Johnson & Dapo Akinrefon
MIXED reactions, yesterday, trailed the controversy surrounding President Muhammadu Buhari’s missing certificate.
While the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South West, said that President Buhari failure to tender his certificates to Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC for screening showed he failed through school, a pro-Buhari group, Re-Elect Buhari Movement, dismissed the PDP’s outburst that followed the submission of an affidavit in place of certificates.
Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd),
In a statement, Zonal Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Ayo Fadaka said his action “stylishly attest to the fact that he failed through school.”
The statement reads: “We are however inclined to believe that he never made a success out of studying, therefore was a very bad student.
“We give due to the notice of the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari has again failed to tender his certificates to INEC for screening.
“This is on the heels of the fact that all other Presidential candidates have submitted their credentials to INEC.
“We also recall that in 2014, President Buhari gave this same excuse when he failed to tender his certificates, then he was an opposition candidate.
“We, however, believe that since he is now President and Commander-in-Chief, he is in a position to order the Army to release his certificates to him, more so, many decades after he retired from the Army.
“The persistent failure of Buhari to avail Nigerians of his educational credentials is indeed a source of worry, while we readily agree that he went through formal education, we are however inclined to believe that he never made a success out of studying, therefore was a very bad student.”
Group dismisses PDP’s stance on Buhari
Faulting the PDP, a pro-Buhari group, Re-Elect Buhari Movement, dismissed the outrage that followed the submission of an affidavit in place of certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by President Buhari to pursue his second term ambition by the PDP.
In a statement, RBM convener, Mr. Emmanuel Umohinyang said there was nothing strange in the action as the president did same in 2015.
Umohinyang said: “The PDP reminds one of the stories of Saul in the Bible. The PDP are always quick to make allegations that are meaningless in the eyes of the ordinary man on the street.
“President Buhari in 2015 had also made the same affidavit to INEC where he said then that his certificates are with the Secretary of the military board.
“I do not think anything has changed because it is the same affidavit that the President has equally submitted this time.
“It is elementary that when something is in the public domain, thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, the people have a right, if they are so concerned to write to the appropriate authority to demand that they furnish them with such information, and the PDP is part and parcel of it.
“If they are so bothered about it, they can write relying on the Freedom of Information Act, but I think the president’s position has been very consistent.”
“May be, they do not know President Buhari. He is as constant as the northern star. Whatsoever he tells you today, if you go back to him in the next 100 years, he will still repeat the same.
“That goes to tell you that truth is constant. For falsehood, you need a lot of lies to cover one lie.
“So, I do not think the President sending an affidavit to INEC instead of a certificate should be an issue.
“Swearing to an affidavit with false motives is perjury. You should know the President would not have brought himself so low to achieve any objective, no matter how huge.”
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