By John Ameh
President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that no Nigerian law compelled him to present his academic qualifications before vying for the country’s top job.
Buhari who spoke through his lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) while adopting his final written address on Wednesday at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja, submitted that under the 1999 constitution, he was only required to be educated.
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed a petition at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal seeking to nullify Buhari’s re-election.
Buhari in his argument urged the Tribunal to dismiss the petition challenging his re-election and his educational qualifications, with substantial cost against the petitioners Atiku and the PDP).
“The law is well settled and the case-law is crystalized on the point that the 2nd Respondent (Buhari) cannot go beyond provisions of sections 131 and 131(8) of the 1999 Constitution. “The case-law is replete with decisions of this Court on the subject. We cannot amend the constitution.
“We need to make it very clear at this point that the Constitution and laws of the land do not expect any Certificate to be tendered or attached” Olanipekun argued.
He further relied on a recent judgement the Court of Appeal delivered in a Certificate scandal suit that involved the governorship candidate of the PDP in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to argue that non-attachment of his certificates, was not a valid ground to challenge his participation in the February 23 presidential election he won.
While adopting their final written address, the All Progressives Congress, (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) through their lawyers, Lateef Fagbami (SAN) and Yunus Usman (SAN) also prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition.
“Those who set the standard for secondary education where called. They came and gave the verdict that what the 2nd Respondent has was equivalent to Secondary School Certificate.
“The witness said so. And there was no follow-up on that. They did not say that the certificate was fake or forged. The position is that we take him to be a secondary school leaver”, Fagbemi noted.
The Justice Mohammed Garba-led five-member panel would after all the parties have adopted their final addresses, reserve the petition for judgement.
