2019: Buhari fails to submit academic credentials, insists they’re with military
President Muhammadu Buhari has again failed to submit his academic records ahead of the 2019 elections.
The president’s academic credentials are not contained in his personal documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), according to PUNCH.
All the aspirants seeking elective positions in the country ought to submit certain documents, including their academic credentials, to the commission.
But Buhari, a former head of state, was quoted to have said his academic records are with the military board.
In the affidavit, Buhari was quoted as saying: “I am the above named person and the deponent of this affidavit herein.
“All my academic qualification documents as filled in my Presidential form, APC/001/2015 are currently with the Secretary of the Military Board as of the time of this affidavit.”
In 2014, the president had also tendered the same submission in the build up of the 2015 elections.
But the military had denied being in possession of the academic credentials.
Olajide Laleye, then director of army public relations, had said: “Records available indicate that Major General M Buhari applied to join the military as a Form Six student of the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina on 18 Oct 61.
“His application was duly endorsed by the Principal of the school, who also wrote a report on him and recommended him to be suitable for military commission.
“It is a practice in the NA that before candidates are shortlisted for commissioning into the officers’ cadre of the Service, the Selection Board verifies the original copies of credentials that are presented. However, there is no available record to show that this process was followed in the 1960s.”
The president had responded by saying the army’s position was mischievous.
How difficult is it to make photocopies of the said credentials from the originals that he claims to be in the custody of the military board and submit them to INEC? And why should it be something so difficult to retrieve this same originals from the secretary of the military board and show them to INEC, if is so required for verification purpose, and then return them to the board afterwards? SOMETHING IS FISHY HERE!SOMEBODY IS DEFINITELY PLAYING GAMES HERE!