Buhari, APC and the Law
4 January 2015 By Abi Giwa
Tinubu and Buhari
Muhammed Buhari, the presidential candidate for the All People Congress, APC, for the February 2015 election, may not have lied on oath. But information reveals that the manner Buhari and his party are handling the furore over his academic certificates has traces of untidiness. Though, the Punch newspaper has reported that the army said it has copies of Buhari's certificates, based on a statement of Brigadier General-Olajide Laleye of the Nigerian Army.
But the Army spokesman said that Buhari ought to have copies of his own certificates, and that if Buhari wants the Army to give him copies, he knows the procedure to follow. What does this mean? That Buhari knows the procedure, but he has decided to do it his own way?
Other questions that immediately arise are: Why has Buhari and the APC allow the issue of existence or non-existence of certificates question their prudence, and shouldn't the public expect that a presidential candidate and a national organization of APC's stature ought to tidy up their acts, before the emergence of Buhari as a presidential candidate?
Despite the army's statement that it has Buhari's certificates, observers believe the question about the whereabouts of those certificates has not been fully answered. They say army says it has the certificates, but the army has not released them because it says Buhari knows the procedure to follow if he wants the certificates, and that Buhari ought to have copies himself.
Where are Buhari's certificates? Many Nigerians say they expect a presidential candidates to have his certificates handy for the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, unless those certificates are not available as in the case of the sitting Vice President Namadi Sambo, who says his certificates have been consumed by fire. And Nigerians expect that since the army says it has the certificates, Buhari should have followed the procedure said to be known to him, get the certificates and tender them to the INEC before the Election Day.
According to Nigerians the Global Pentorch already interviewed on this subject, they said the onus is on Buhari to prove to Nigerians that he has not lied on oath, and that he indeed has the certificates somewhere and can be retrieved.
They said that Buhari ought to know that lying on oath is a crime punishable under the law, and as a presidential candidate and law abiding citizen, he should be able to show that he is not above the law.
Many people are already questioning the ability of APC as a party that if it has messed up a simple issue of ensuring a presidential candidate has his certificates handy, how can they be sure the party has the capability to manage Nigeria's multi-dimensional political, social and economic problems, especially fighting the culture of corruption that has messed up the country.
Nigerians are watching and waiting for Buhari to retrieve his certificates from the army and submit them to the INEC, as beginning of assuaging them, believing both the candidate and APC have not breached the law, while the issue of their seeming lack of prudence and morality can be left for individual voters to decide about whom to give their vote.
But the Army spokesman said that Buhari ought to have copies of his own certificates, and that if Buhari wants the Army to give him copies, he knows the procedure to follow. What does this mean? That Buhari knows the procedure, but he has decided to do it his own way?
Other questions that immediately arise are: Why has Buhari and the APC allow the issue of existence or non-existence of certificates question their prudence, and shouldn't the public expect that a presidential candidate and a national organization of APC's stature ought to tidy up their acts, before the emergence of Buhari as a presidential candidate?
Despite the army's statement that it has Buhari's certificates, observers believe the question about the whereabouts of those certificates has not been fully answered. They say army says it has the certificates, but the army has not released them because it says Buhari knows the procedure to follow if he wants the certificates, and that Buhari ought to have copies himself.
Where are Buhari's certificates? Many Nigerians say they expect a presidential candidates to have his certificates handy for the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, unless those certificates are not available as in the case of the sitting Vice President Namadi Sambo, who says his certificates have been consumed by fire. And Nigerians expect that since the army says it has the certificates, Buhari should have followed the procedure said to be known to him, get the certificates and tender them to the INEC before the Election Day.
According to Nigerians the Global Pentorch already interviewed on this subject, they said the onus is on Buhari to prove to Nigerians that he has not lied on oath, and that he indeed has the certificates somewhere and can be retrieved.
They said that Buhari ought to know that lying on oath is a crime punishable under the law, and as a presidential candidate and law abiding citizen, he should be able to show that he is not above the law.
Many people are already questioning the ability of APC as a party that if it has messed up a simple issue of ensuring a presidential candidate has his certificates handy, how can they be sure the party has the capability to manage Nigeria's multi-dimensional political, social and economic problems, especially fighting the culture of corruption that has messed up the country.
Nigerians are watching and waiting for Buhari to retrieve his certificates from the army and submit them to the INEC, as beginning of assuaging them, believing both the candidate and APC have not breached the law, while the issue of their seeming lack of prudence and morality can be left for individual voters to decide about whom to give their vote.
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