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| attendees at press conference |
NIGERIA
FIRST
I welcome everyone to
this press conference, and thank you for finding the time to be here despite
your other engagements.
Nigeria is in the grip
of election fever because of the imminent General Elections scheduled to
commence February 14, 2015. There is a lot of tension in the air as the
atmosphere has become charged with hot currents of partisan politics. It is the
season of muck-raking, mud-slinging, name-calling, heated arguments, wild
accusations and wilder counter-allegations as various interest groups jostle
for power, either to claim it or to retain it in various political offices in
the executive and legislative arms of government at the State and Federal
levels. More unfortunately, pre-election violence has started to break out.
There are reports of attacks on supporters of rival groups involving deaths,
infliction of grievous bodily injuries, wanton destruction of properties,
arson, etc.
This certainly is not
the way to go. All leaders and controllers of political parties must do their
utmost to curtail, even stop all these violent, uncivilized modes of
electioneering. Questing for political office is not warfare among barbarians
where annihilation of enemies at all cost is the prime objective. People who
are genuinely interested in serving a community cannot be interested in
dislocating, disrupting or even destroying that same community.
Our politicians must
not turn and should not be allowed to turn our dear country into a war zone and
a killing field. To this end, we call on all security agencies to eschew
partisanship and embrace professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
Violence is an ill wind that blows no one any good. Let all security heads and
officials know that they are agencies set up for the protection of the STATE
and not to serve the interests of any political party or any other group.
Security agencies destroy themselves when they become puppets in the hands of
selfish, unpatriotic political office holders using them to serve political
interests.
BUHARI
CERTIFICATE SAGA
There has been quite a
stir and prolonged controversy over the issue of the Secondary School
Certificate of General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress (APC). According to the ruling party, the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and some other quarters, General Buhari should not be
allowed to contest the elections, because he does not have the requisite
educational status to qualify to run for the office of President.
The PDP claims specifically
that the General does not have a School Leaving Certificate or that the one the
General claims he has is a forged document. Only yesterday, a group of lawyers
speaking in Abuja joined the fray on the side of the PDP and called for the
arrest of General Buhari.
Incidentally, General
Buhari has long been cleared by the organizers of the elections, the
INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTION COMMISSION (INEC) to run as the presidential flag
bearer of the All Progressives Congress.
In reaction to the
allegations against him, the General has maintained that he graduated Secondary
School in Katsina in 1961 and he has mentioned the names of some of his
classmates including Justice Umar Abdulahi, former President of the Court of
Appeal who has corroborated this claim. Another corroboration came from Generl
Aliyu Gusau, National Security Adviser.
Our position on this
matter is that the entire imbroglio is unnecessary, uninformed where not
mischievous, mischievous, where not informed.
Section
318 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
which governs the qualification to aspire to Nigeria’s presidency provides as
follows:…
From the foregoing, one
of the several important consequences stand out:
(1)
The qualification space as regards
education is very relaxed. The spirit of the law here is an emphasis on actual
knowledge and competence above mere documentary or paper certification.
(2)
To this extent, an extensive
interpretation or definition of what constitutes School Leaving was given.
Also, one could see that the constitutional prescription of educational status
is on MINIMUM ENTRANCE. Evidence abounds that General Buhari in the least can
speak and write in English. This is a notorious fact as we say in law that
needs no proof before a court of law. And the constitution must have the
capacity to use the English Language (the language of officialdom in Nigeria)
to the satisfaction of INEC.
Of course, evidence
also abounds that the General attended and graduated from various military
institutions abroad before and after becoming a commissioned officer. And
according to Professor Itsey Sagay SAN, a respected constitutional law expert,
a diploma in the Military College is the equivalent of Masters Degree.
While we concede the
right of having a contrary view on the Buhari Certificate issue, we assert that
all those against General Buhari have not used the proper and lawful portal to
ventilate their grievances. That portal is the Court of Law, not street
marches, press conferences and soap boxes.
It appears to us that
what the opponents of the General want now, in the face of the imminent defeat
of the incumbent, is a Walk Over.
They do not fancy contest again because of the real and apparent fears and
dangers of defeat at the polls.
ELECTION DATE
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| after press conference |
There is now a call or clamour from certain
quarters, particularly the PDP, for a shift in the date of the elections. The
reason cited is that INEC is not ready for the elections as many people are yet
to receive their PVC, the enablement to vote. INEC has however maintained that
it will go on with the elections as scheduled, starting with the presidential
elections. We support INEC. Instead of postponing the elections, INEC should
redouble its efforts and meet their targets.
Adesina
Ogunlana
National
Coordinator
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