POLITICS: Will Buhari Scale Through INEC’s Screening?

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By Efio-Ita Nyok


                     
                                  Muhammaddu Buhari

There is serious contention on the academic qualifications
of the Presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress APC, namely,
Major General Muhammaddu Buhari. On one hand, it is alleged that the
credentials of the said aspirant is in the custody of the Secretary of the
Military Board (according to an affidavit signed by the aspirant); on the other
hand, it is contended that the said aspirant is not academically fit to run for
elections.
The objective of this article is to bring both arguments
into perspective. With regard to the forner argument, namely, that all of
Buhari’s academic qualifications are resident in the files of the Secretary of
Nigeria’s Military Board, the question is: why is it that the military is still
keeping Buhari’s certificates? Is it standard practice that certificates of all
forner serving military officers are always kept in the custody of the
military? If the response is in the negative, as it were,  why is Buhari’s credentials still kept there?
No reasons have been articulated until now. Even though it were to be there
can’t it be retrieved? If it can, why has it not been retrieved since 2007 or
2011? The corollary becomes, with what certificate did Buhari contest the 2007
& 2011 general elections? With an affidavit? And even though an affidavit
is tenable, why didn’t Buhari deposed such before the APC’s presidential
primaries poll according to INEC’s ruling? Why after? If these affidavits were
not presented in the two previous presidential elections, is it that Buhari
forgot to collect them from the Secretary, Military Board through seven years?
What a forgetfulness! From the foregoing, it seems that GMB may not in truth
have passed any examination whether military or otherwise.
That is to say GMB does not have a First School Leaving
Certificate, a WAEC/GCE certificate, no OND or HND, no First Degree, Masters or
Doctorate, and no PSC, MNI or FSS. Could this be true.
With regards to the latter
contention namely that GMB is not fit academically to contest elections, this
is the position of the ruling PDP, perceived detractors of the general. If the
above questions can’t be answered, it is evident that Buhari is not
academically sound to contest for the presidency because to depose for the
third time that the military is keeping your certificate without telling us
reasons why the military board Secretary has refused to let go those
certificates, when my father, a former Naval officer’s certificates after over
three decades service to the military, are handy as I write, is too flimsy an
excuse.
It stands to reason then that the
rumour making the rounds that GMB never passed any examination may be factual.
That is to say, GMB is not intellectually sound from an academic point of view.
He could not even pass the PSC examination, which imply that he should not have
been promoted to the position of Major General in the first place, that he was
promoted affirms the proposition that he was always promoted courtesy of a
quota system. He always failed his examination like General Abacha.
If the leadership of the APC are
aware, why did they allow this? Is this the change we are anticipating? From
literacy to illiteracy? In light of this, will the Professor A. Jega’s INEC
clear Buhari to stand for elections come February 14, 2015? With what logic
will he scale through?
I am of the opinion that
Muhammaddu Buhari will be allowed to contest the presidency on the sentiments
that the rule of law is not cherised in this part of the world. Besides, when
Tinubu ensured that Buhari beat Atiku in the last APC primary polls, he knew
that there was another mountain to surmount and they had prepared for that.
Let’s watch out as events unfolds. But from all indication, both the APC and
GMB are guilty of over ambitiousness to occuoy the reins of power. There may be
a hidden agenda these politicians have in store.

But God forbid all the enemies of
Nigeria! God bless this Nigeria!