President Muhammadu Buhari has told Atiku Abubakar, the 2019 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that he is far more educationally qualified to vie for the office he is occupying.
Messrs Buhari and Abubakar are the major contestants in the concluded presidential race that took place on February 23.
While Mr Buhari sought re-election on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), the former vice president popularly known as Atiku was his major challenger from the PDP.
The president trounced the former number two citizen with over 4 million votes to actualize his second term ambition.
Atiku has gone to the presidential election tribunal to challenge the outcome of the exercise. He is also praying to be declared the winner on the basis that he is educationally qualified for the position than the president.
Responding, Buhari through his legal counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), said he is academically qualified than the PDP candidate, challenging Atiku to prove him otherwise by tendering all his academic credentials before the tribunal.
“The respondent (Buhari) avers that he is far more qualified, both constitutionally and educationally, to contest and occupy the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria than the 1st petitioner; and that in terms of educational qualifications, training and courses attended, both within and outside Nigeria, he is head and shoulder above the 1st petitioner in terms of acquisition of knowledge, certificates, laurels, medals and experience,” the response filed by Mr Olanipekun read.
“Respondent states further that it is the 1st petitioner who is not qualified to contest the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and challenges the educational credentials and certificates of the 1st petitioner.
“The 1st petitioner is hereby given notice to produce and tender his educational certificates, indicating the schools attended by him, with dates,” the reply read.
The President who listed the schools he attended also denied providing false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Elementary School Daura and Maid’adua – 1948 to 1952;
“Middle School, Katsina – 1953 to 1956;
“Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Daura Government College, Katsina) – 1956 to 1961.”
“He (Buhari) did not, at any time, provide any false information in the Form CF001 submitted to the 1st respondent, either in 2014 or 2018.”
While denying that TraderMoni, is vote-buying, Buhari asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition, saying that it contained more of pre-election issues, which the Court of Appeal, sitting as a tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain.
