Nigerians Not Prepared To Accept NEPA Bill As WAEC Certificate In 2019, PDP Taunts Buhari
The Peoples Demcratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to show proof of his “vaunted integrity” by presenting his academic credentials to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to Punch, Buhari had stated via an affidavit presented to INEC that all his academic qualifications as filled in his presidential form APC/001/2015 “are currently with the Secretary of the Military Board” as of the time of the affidavit.
However, a statement on Friday by Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary, said the President and the All Progressives Congress (APC) “must realise that even their followers that were beguiled in 2015 are currently not prepared to accept ‘NEPA bill’ as WAEC certificate in the 2019 elections”.
The statement read: “The PDP charges President Muhammadu Buhari to show proof of his vaunted integrity by presenting his academic documents, if he has any, to INEC to put an end to his certificate saga.
“The PDP also urges President Buhari to fulfil his obligation like other presidential candidates, instead of bugging the commission with affidavits.
“The PDP said while its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has submitted his educational and other relevant documents to INEC, President Buhari is rather seeking ways to short-circuit the system, instead of complying with set rules.
“Indeed a situation where Buhari has been dodging the certificate issue issue raises huge questions of integrity, which demands that he makes available his credentials, or apologise to Nigerians, if he has none, so that the nation can move ahead.
“PDP maintains that integrity strictly demands that President Buhari, particularly as the commander-in-chief, writes to the military authorities directing them to forward his claimed credentials to INEC, as requisite evidence of compliance with a key requirement for election into the Office of the President, under section 131 (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
That President Buhari and the previous INEC succeeded in circumventing the law in 2015 does not make such acceptable in our current electoral process.
“Moreover, President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) must realise that even their followers that were beguiled in 2015 are currently not prepared to accept ‘NEPA bill’ as WAEC certificate in the 2019 elections.”