The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in next month’s presidential election, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, has cleared the air on the controversy surrounding his primary and secondary school qualification.
Speaking to journalists at the Africa House, beside the Kano State Government House in the State capital, the Katsina-born politician named late Gen Shehu Musa Yar’adua and a former President of the Court of Appeal, Mr Umar Abdullahi, as his classmates.
He, however, failed to tender his certificate but noted that the school he attended, the Provincial Secondary School, now known as Government College, Katsina, will make available a copy of the Cambridge West African School Certificate, which would be made available to the press.
General Buhari said he wrote the examination with number 8200002 in the Second Division.
He, however, said: “Although the ruling party may want to wish this away, the issue in this campaign cannot be my certificate which I obtained 53 years ago. The issues are the scandalous level of unemployment of our young people, the state of insecurity, the pervasive official corruption which has impoverished our people and the lack of concern of the government of anything other than the retention of power at all costs”.
The Nigerian military had yesterday denied being in possession of the WASC certificate of the retired army officer, who rose to the rank of Major General before becoming Nigeria’s military ruler after the coup plot on Mr Shehu Shagari’s regime in 1983.
Despite the military’s denial of having the former Head of State’s WASC certificate, the APC defended the academic qualification of its presidential candidate, citing new legal details.
The party quoted part IV, Section 318 of the Constitution which interprets “School Certificate level or its equivalent” as follows:
(a) A Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent, Grade II Teacher’s Certificate, the City and Guilds Certificate; or
(b) Education up to Secondary School Certificate Level; or
(c) Primary Six School 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 for 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, and
(d) Any other qualification acceptable by the Independent National Electoral Commission;
The Constitution requires a minimum of secondary school certificate or its equivalent for election to the office of the president.
