27 October 2018   |  

Nigeria’s opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Friday challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to submit his academic credentials to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2019 general election.

“We charge President Muhammadu Buhari to show proof of his vaunted integrity by presenting his academic documents if he has any, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and put to an end his certificate saga,” PDP said in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan.

Buhari failed to provide his academic credentials to the electoral body on Thursday as one of the requirements to contest elective positions in the country.

The president claimed that they are in the custody of the military.

“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.”

PDP, while reacting to the claims said that “Nigeria’s are no longer interested in Buhari’s inability to submit academic credentials.

The party said that “Buhari is rather seeking ways to short-circuit the system, instead of complying with set rules.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, published the forms and documents of presidential and National Assembly candidates of political parties that have been submitted for the 2019 general elections.

In the list released by the electoral body, are the names of 76 presidential aspirants being sponsored by their political parties. It also includes detailed information about their personalities.

This was also the same for candidates vying for seats in the National Assembly.

The forms and documents which were for purposes of claims and objections were pasted at the offices of INEC in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as its offices across the federation.