Jonathan and his time that they may likely lose the poll if
things are not done right. Days to the February 14
presidential polls, the PDP candidate has indicated that he
was considering voicing a vote of no confidence in INEC.
Evidence of Jonathan’s latest decision emerged in a
statement released by Femi Fani-Kayode, the DG of media
and publicity for the PDP presidential campaign
organization.
Jonathan's team is not happy the way INEC is relating with
issues concerning Muhammadu Buhari:
“The electoral body must come clean on this matter;
otherwise we will be compelled to pass a no-confidence
vote in it,” the president’s publicist said. “If INEC is
complicit in the desperate and despicable attempt to
extricate General Buhari, without compliance with the
provisions of the law, from this lingering embarrassment,
we will have no other choice than to harbor the suspicion
and fear that the electoral body is already compromised
and can lend itself to the ungodly agenda of truncating our
victory when our candidate wins.”
Text of a press conference by the Director of Media and
Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization,
Femi Fani-Kayode on Wednesday, January 28, 2015
CERTIFICATE SAGA: BUHARI SINKS DEEPER WITH LIES!
Yesterday, General Muhammadu Buhari made a shocking
and belated disclosure that the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) has his documents. He has
not been specific about the documents he is referring to
but it is very clear that this is yet another squalid attempt
to give the Nigerian people the impression that INEC has
his certificate. If this is true, it represents a somersault
from his original position which was that INEC has his
affidavit and it once again reveals General Buhari for what
he is.
With this latest antic, General Buhari is obviously trying to
smuggle a newly acquired certificate into INEC through the
backdoor. If this is true and if INEC allows such a thing to
happen, it would put a serious question mark on its
impartiality and credibility. It would mean that it has
collected his newly acquired certificate, 40 days outside
the stipulation of the Law.
We say this because Section 31(3) of the Electoral Act says
INEC “shall within 7 days of the receipt of the receipt of the
personal particulars of the candidate, publish same in the
constituency...”
Buhari’s words are as follows: “Well, I am not surprised.
This is Nigeria. If people are “serious” about this issue,
they ought to have listened to the LEGAL ADVISER of
INEC” (Is Buhari saying Nigerians are unserious by seeking
to know the truth?)
Continuing, he says: “This is the first time, INEC by law has
got those documents and they said they have got them. So
anybody who has different view should go to court. So let
them remain there.”
Those were the words of General Muhammadu Buhari (NOT
MOHAMMED BUHARI), the APC presidential candidate.
It appears as if the more our alleged “Mr. Incorruptible”
attempts to wash himself clean, the more he digs deeper in
the pit of falsehood and perjury.
Now, below are facts already in the public domain, which
are incontrovertible:
1. That Muhammadu Buhari (Not Mohammed Buhari)
neither submitted nor attached any personal document to
form CF001 he filled to INEC.
2. That the INEC form part C specifically stated that
PERSONAL (i.e. Certificate) documents should be attached
but Buhari did not attach any as of 18th December, 2014,
the last day according to INEC guidelines for submission of
form CF001.
3. That Buhari was the only candidate whose documents
were not published like other presidential candidates as
stipulated by law, having not attached any certificate
previously.
4. That INEC had acknowledged that fact after publication
of particulars of all candidates last year and had not
controverted these facts, having itself published the
documents attached by all other candidates except Buhari
who did not submit any document apart from INEC's own
CF001 form and an affidavit, a court document all of which
do not represent PERSONAL DOCUMENT of Buhari.
5.That as at 12 midnight on 30th December, 2014, the
expiration of time provided by law for the substitution of
candidates, APC did not avail itself that opportunity of
substituting the unqualified Buhari for a duly qualified
presidential candidate.
6. That Buhari's only response in his affidavit form in the
public domain and displayed by INEC in the 774 LGAs that
form the single constituency for presidential contestants
was to the effect that "All my academic qualifications and
certificates are currently with the secretary of the military
Board as at the time of this affidavit dated 24/11/2014."
This affidavit, a very arrogant and whimsical response that
his credentials were with the Military Authorities, is in the
public domain. If Buhari’s assertion is true, the question is,
what is INEC now up to collecting new documents from him
through the backdoor, 40 days after the requirement of
law?
7. That the military authorities came in the open to clarify
that the only document in respect of Buhari's WASC was an
anticipatory letter by his principal that "Buhari would pass"
- NOT THAT BUHARI PASSED.
8. That Buhari's imperial response at a later press
conference was that his alma mater, Government College
Katsina, would publish his result when available. How
come he now says that INEC has collected his document
and why should INEC do so after the statutory time limit?
9. That what Government College Katsina published was at
best a hand-written result of one MOHAMMED BUHARI and
not MUHAMMADU BUHARI or at worse a complete forgery.
Fellow Nigerians, Why should General Muhammadu Buhari
refer Nigerians to hear from one legal adviser in INEC? The
same INEC that its Director of legal services, one (Mr.
Ibrahim Bawa) who, earlier in response to numerous
inquiries shortly after on December i8, 2014, told the press
that INEC had published all that presidential candidates
submitted which in the case of Buhari are just FORM CF001
(no certificate attached) and affidavit which is court papers
and not personal document.
It will be interesting to know at which point the affidavit
transmuted into additional documents or when additional
documents were provided to INEC in line with law as noted
above.
What Nigerians Should Note
By Buhari's latest statement, we want to alert Nigerians to
the following questions which the INEC Chair, Attahiru
Jega, the so-called legal adviser whom a consultant, duly
contracted by INEC, had recommended for redeployment
and the APC, must HONESTLY answer:
A. WHEN DID INEC AND THIS LEGAL ADVISER RECEIVE
THE DOCUMENTS GIVEN THAT THERE WAS NOTHING ON
RECORD FOR HIM AFTER 18TH DECEMBER 2014?
B. WERE THESE MYSTERIOUS DOCUMENTS RECEIVED
WITHIN OR AFTER THE TIME FRAME SPECIFIED BY THE
ELECTORAL GUIDELINES?
C. Could this be the source of Buhari’s renewed arrogance
that anybody not satisfied should go to court?
D. HAS INEC PUBLISHED THESE DOCUMENTS AS
REQUIRED BY LAW?
E. Who is in breach of the Electoral Act, Section 31:3-
Buhari or Ibrahim Bawa?
The Electoral Body must come clean on this matter;
otherwise we will be compelled to pass a no-confidence
vote in it. If INEC is complicit in the desperate and
despicable attempt to extricate General Buhari, without
compliance with the provisions of the law, from this
lingering embarrassment, we will have no other choice
than to harbor the suspicion and fear that the Electoral
Body is already compromised and can lend itself to the
ungodly agenda of truncating our victory when our
candidate wins.
We also want the election observers to keep watch of the
unfolding events regarding General Buhari’s qualification
or otherwise. In other countries, it is about obeying the rule
of law and not about protecting the political interest of an
individual, especially since a free, fair and credible election
is not about the day of voting alone but also the processes
leading up to it.
I thank you for listening.
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