Certificate Saga: Withdraw From The Race Or Get Fired By The Court, Don Tells Buhari

An eminent scholar, Professor Dupe Olatubosun, has advised the

presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Major
General Muhammadu Buhari to “honourably withdraw” from the race to pave
way for “a qualified person” from the party.

Professor Olatubosun threatened to approach the court to seek Buhari’s
disqualification, should the Katsina-born politician “fail to follow the
path of honour.”

The scholar spoke in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, anchoring his position
on what he called the non-qualification of Buhari to stand for the
election because he failed to tender his secondary school certificate of
education as required by laws.

“Nigeria cannot afford to take such a very serious gamble of allowing a
primary school certificate holder to lead the nation in 2015. It is
unthinkable and absolutely unacceptable.

“To be educated up to school certificate level is a necessary condition
for General Buhari or anyone who aspires to be Nigeria’s president.

“If Buhari cannot present his secondary school certificate, all he needs
to do is to go to the secondary school he attended and obtain a certified
true copy of his result from the school record, if he ever attended any
secondary school.

“If General Buhari cannot provide evidence that he is qualified to contest
the election as prescribed by the combined effects of Sections 131 and 137
of the 1999 Constitution as amended, then ,he is not qualified to
contest,” Olatubosun said.

On Pastor Tunde Bakare’s call for a transitional government, the retired
professor said such call was borne out of selfishness and a ploy to reward
those who have “unleashed the dogs of war” in some parts of the country
with membership of a coalition government.

“They cannot get through the back door what they cannot obtain
legitimately through the front door. A coalition of PDP and APC in
government can never work satisfactorily in the interest of Nigerians,” he
said.

The don described as untrue, claims that a tempest was gathering that
would necessitate the need to avoid a shipwreck in the country, adding
that the insurgency in the North-East was being orchestrated by “those who
believe the nation’s leadership is their birthright.”