The media director of The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign organisation for the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan, Femi Fani-Kayode has questioned the eligibility of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, to contest the Saturday, February 14, 2015 presidential polls given certain discrepancies in his academic resume.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, January 10, 2015, Fani-Kayode also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of a deliberate attempt to cover-up Buhari’s academic shortfall as he did not possess the minimum requirement to contest the election.
Fani-Kayode, a one time Minister of Aviation said: “The inability of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, to present even the minimum requirement of just a school leaving certificate questions his moral and other credentials for pursuing the position of the president of Nigeria. The current shocking disclosures bring to the fore how and what qualifications were used to recruit him into the military, without a minimum school leaving certificate, where he rose to the rank of a General and even became the Head of State.
“Thus, the question must be asked: is Buhari or any other citizen qualified to contest election into the office of the president without meeting the minimum constitutional requirement?”
He further stressed that documents made public by INEC showed that the former military Head of State had not submitted the minimum documents for neither the 2011 presidential polls nor next month’s election.
Fani-Kayode continued thus: “If the constitution did not require proof, it would not specify a minimum.
“First in the INEC Form CF 001 for 2015 filled by General Buhari at section C of the form, the instruction on the form clearly states ‘Attach evidence of all educational qualifications’ – this was not done.
“Yet an affidavit was sworn otherwise. Curiously, he did not refer INEC to this board in 2011 in his records available for anyone who cares to see how Buhari has, in breach of the constitution of 1999, contested elections without meeting the mandatory constitutional requirement and has been treated preferentially…
“It is common knowledge that military board like any other bodies do not keep or retain original copies of personal particulars of individuals such as birth certificates, passports, and academic credentials of any personnel, especially retired personnel after over three decades.
“It must be stated that INEC erred in law by publishing the name of a candidate without receiving the personal particulars of the candidate within seven days of receiving his nomination forms as indicated in section 31(3).”
