Those after Buhari may destroy military, APC warns

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned that those
who are bent on destroying its Presidential candidate, Maj.-
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on the basis of his certificates, may
end up destroying the country’s military.
In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party warned
that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Jonathan
Administration were playing a dangerous game by trying to
compromise the military in order to satisfy selfish political
objectives. The APC urged the military, as a symbol of
national unity, to beware of those who might be seeking to
use it to achieve selfish ends.
It said the statement credited to the Nigerian Army Director,
Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen. Olajide Olaleye, at a press
conference in Abuja yesterday, that the Army was not in
possession of Gen. Buhari’s certificates, is in direct conflict
with what he said on January 4, 2015 on the same issue.
“In an interview with the Punch on January 4, 2015, Brig.-Gen.
Olaleye said: ‘Every serving and retired Army officer has at
least a copy of his certificates and credentials kept in the
Nigerian Army, while that same serving and retired officer has
copies of those same certificates and credentials.
“Is Brig.-Gen. Olaleye now saying that he did not make that
statement? If he did, what has happened between then and
now to make him to recant? It will be interesting to know
what has transpired between then and now,’’ APC said.
But more worrisome, the party said, was the statement
credited to Brig.-Gen. Olaleye that there was no evidence that
the certificates of all those who joined the army in the early
1960s were verified by the selection board.
“Is he now saying that all those who were commissioned into
the officer cadres in the 1960s did not have their certificates
verified? Does this not confirm what we said, that in trying to
destroy Gen. Buhari, the PDP and the Jonathan Administration
will end up destroying the army as an institution? Or is it only
Gen. Buhari that was commissioned into the army in the
1960s,? it said.
The party also quoted Gen. Buhari as saying in an affidavit on
November 24, 2014 that, “All my academic qualifications,
documents as filled in my presidential form, President
APC/001/2015 are currently with the Secretary, Military Board
as at the time of this affidavit.
“Those who are behind the latest controversy should now tell
Nigerians what happened to Gen. Buhari’s certificates
between the time of his affidavit and now,” it said.
APC said in any case, even if the Army now says it does not
have the certificates of Gen. Buhari, he is still very qualified to
run for the country’s highest office, as stipulated by the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The party quoted Section 131 (d) of the Constitution: ‘’A
person shall be qualified for election to the office of President
if he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level
or its equivalent’’
APC said the meaning and interpretation of ‘’School Certificate
level or its equivalent can be found in the Constitution under
part IV, Section 318. In that Section, a ‘’School Certificate or
ot equivalent’’ is defined quite succinctly thus:
(a) A Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent, Grade II
Teacher’s Certificate, the City and Guilds Certificate; or
(b) Education up to Secondary School Certificate Level; or
(c) Primary Six School Leaving Certificate or its equivalent.
The party said since Brig.-Gen. Olaleye has now confirmed
that Gen. Buhari indeed applied to join the Army from form six,
that the principal of the school he attended even attested to
his suitability, and that the form he filled contained his
Secondary School Certificate results, there is no scintilla of
doubt about his qualification to run for president as stipulated
by the Constitution.
‘’However, we know that the PDP and the Jonathan
Administration have constituted themselves into a court of law
and will like nothing more than the disqualification of our
candidate so they will face no challenge in next month’s
election. This is wishful thinking,’’ it said.
APC said the PDP and the Jonathan Administration should
expend their energy on how to revive their floundering
campaign instead of seeking the disqualification of its (APC)
candidate.
On the contradictions in the statements credited to the Army
spokesman, the party said: ‘’It is true that our once globally-
respected military has now been made comatose by the PDP-
led Federal Government, but we believe things have not
reached the level where the same military will be engaging in
actions that amount to self destruction, just to satisfy some
political interests.
‘’We believe things have not reached a level where we, as a
nation, will now be giving the impression that a man who rose
to become a Major-General in the Nigerian Army does not
have requisite qualifications?
‘’What really is happening in our country if some politicians
have now decided to engage in an action that will amount to
dragging the military into politics, dividing an institution that
is a symbol of national unity, trivializing the service of those
who fought to keep Nigeria one and ridiculing the same
country it is supposed to be ruling?
‘’We have said it before and will like to repeat: Enough is
enough about this distraction orchestrated by the PDP and the
Jonathan Administration whose electioneering campaign for
next month’s polls has suffered a train wreck,’’ the party said
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, Jan. 20th 2015