Buhari should not be allowed to contest if he doesn’t present his certificate – Northern youths

 A group under the aegis of Northern Youth Forum (NYF) has called on the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, to produce his academic certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, saying his failure to do this would automatically put his supporters to shame, ridicule and disqualify him from the contest.

According to the group, Buhari’s statement that the original copies of his certificates were with the military authorities was not enough to fulfill the constitutional requirement. The groups position was contained in a press statement released and signed by its National President, Bello Gambo Bichi in Kano.

It said “General Buhari should do what is required of him by presenting his certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as other presidential candidates have done, instead of hiding behind the fig leaf of constitutionalism.”

The group, however, said section 131(d) of the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria does not require Buhari to physically present his certificates but to only show that he ‘has been educated up to at least secondary level or its equivalent.

The spirit of that provision demands that he should present certified true copies of his original certificates because that is the only way that INEC will determine that he has been educated up to secondary school level. “Clearly, Buhari contested the 2011 and two previous elections without presenting his certificates to INEC.

This time around INEC, civil society organisations and the international community should mount pressure on Buhari to comply with this simple demand, by retrieving his certificates from the Army.” authorities and submitting them to the electoral commission, otherwise he should not be allowed to contest the 2015 election.”