Buhari refuses to submit academic credentials to INEC

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to submit his academic credentials to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the forthcoming 2019 general election.

A list of presidential candidates released by INEC on Thursday identified 70 out of 91 political parties fielding candidates for presidential elections in 2019 including Buhari who failed to attach necessary documents as required for his re-election bid.

Buhari, a retired major general, told the electoral body that his credentials are still with the military and attached an affidavit to support his claim.

“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,” Buhari said.

The military, however, denied being in possession of his credentials.

“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,” former army spokesman Olajide Olaleye said in 2014.

“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 a 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,” he added.

However, the other 70 candidates, whose names were published in INEC’s list submitted relevant documents including the opposition People’s Democratic Party Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.

Abubakar submitted relevant documents, with a Diploma in Law in 1969 from the Ahmadu Bello University being his highest qualification.