Buhari certificate saga: INEC should not process his form until he produces it ― Afenifere

PAN-YORUBA socio-political group, Afenifere, on Saturday reacted to the certificate issue of President Muhammadu Buhari, describing the matter as purely an integrity matter that has to do with a leader that is famed for his integrity.

This was just as it urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to process the president’s nomination form as presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2019 poll until the court of the land resolved the matter.

Former Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, however, declined to offer any comment when asked to comment.

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The PDP chieftain declined on the basis of having being a former military leader himself, declaring: “You know I also belong to that profession, your Oga any day is your oga, we all served in the services, your oga is your oga, no comments.”

Spokesperson of Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin, said this while speaking with the Sunday Tribune of phone, in reaction to a statement credited to President Buhari that he could not accompany the INEC form with photocopy of his original copy of certificate from West African Examination Council (WAEC) because the document was with the Military authorities.

Buhari had instead submitted an affidavit, the same document he equally submitted to INEC in 2014 to enable him contest the 2015 presidential poll.

According to Afenifere chieftain, who recalled that it was the same excuse that the president offered in 2014, a development that later made him have about 21 Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SANs) stood in court to argue his case, rather than coming up with the same excuse, Buhari should compel the military as the sitting president to produce his original certificate as demanded by the law of the land.

Odumakin, while contending that it amounted to perjury for anyone to claim what he did not have in an affidavit, said: “We expect the court to resolve the matter before election.”

“We expect INEC not to process his form until he releases it (certificate). He can sign Executive Order for the military to release it,” he said.