'The certificate saga is a dead issue, only idle people will consider it'- Presidency

According to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it Provides thus;

“Section 131 states: “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of President if –

*He is a citizen of Nigeria by birth;

*He has attained the age of forty – years.

*He is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and

*He has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.

In this vain, the presidency through its spokesman Femi Adesina who is the Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity has responded to some backlashes that followed the submission of an affidavit rather than a certificate.

He said;

The certificate saga is a dead issue, only idle people will consider it. It is something that had been laid to rest before the 2015 general elections. Those raising the issue (PDP and others) are idle and they have run out of ideas. They see defeat staring them in the face and they are desperate to cling to any straw. This issue was resolved before the 2015 election. It is a matter of fact that when President Buhari and others joined the military, they took their original certificates from them. The military knew where they kept the original certificates of the President. In fact, a former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Alani Akinrinade corroborated that the military collected the original certificates of all its officers. The PDP believes it is going to lose the elections, and they will lose, and it is raising dust over a dead issue.

“The military already said they lost the certificates. But does it mean that it did not exist that the President went to school, sat for examinations and passed; attended military courses and War College. It does not change the fact that the President rose through the ranks to become a Major-General in the Nigerian Army and a Military Head of State. Didn’t those opposed to President Buhari go to court over his certificate and lost before? They will still lose this time around. It is a dead issue.”

Elementary School Daura and Mai Aduwa (1948-1952); Middle School, Katsina (1953-1956); Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College, Katsina)-1956 to 1961; Nigerian Military Training School, Kaduna (1962-1963); Cadet Officer Course Aldershot, UK (October 1963); Platoon Commander Course, Nigerian Military College, Kaduna (1963-1964); Army Mechanical Transport  School, Bordan, England (1965); Defence Service Staff College, Wellington India (1973-1974); and United States Army War College (1979-1980).