Presidential Election Tribunal Reserves Judgment As Buhari Says He Doesn’t Need Certificate To Be President

By Editor

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday used the argument of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate in the 2018 governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke to assert that he did not need to present a certificate to be president of the country.

Making his final argument in defence of his qualification to contest the election, the president submitted that there was no where in the constitution that he was required to tender a certificate as evidence of his eligibility as a presidential candidate.

Buhari who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC is being challenged by Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate who among others deposed that Buhari lacks the qualification to have been presented as a candidate.

“The law is well settled and the case-law is crystalized on the point that the 2nd Respondent (Buhari) cannot go beyond provisions of sections 131 and 131(8) of the 1999 Constitution,” the president’s counsel, Chief Wole Olanikpekun, SAN said.

“The case-law is replete with decisions of this Court on the subject. We cannot amend the constitution.

“We need to make it very clear at this point that the Constitution and laws of the land do not expect any Certificate to be tendered or attached.”

He further argued that the recent Court of Appeal judgment delivered in a similar dispute over the qualification of Senator Adeleke as the PDP governorship candidate in Osun State showed that the fact that the certificate was not provided was not enough ground to disqualify a candidate.

The APC supported Buhari’s claim and through its lawyer Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN said it was wrong to give the impression that President Buhari does not have basic educational qualifications.

“Those who set the standard for secondary education where called. They came and gave the verdict that what the 2nd Respondent has was equivalent to Secondary School Certificate. The witness said so. And there was no follow-up on that.  They did not say that the certificate was fake or forged. 

“The position is that we take him to be a secondary school leaver”, Fagbemi, SAN, argued.

The closing argument is coming ahead of the final judgment to be delivered by the Justice Mohammed Garba led tribunal.

The panel said it was reserving judgment on the petition.

 And For More Nigerian News Visit GWG.NG