Revelations emerged yesterday at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) as witnesses called by President Muhammadu Buhari in defence of his victory made startling disclosures on the controversial issue of his academic qualification to contest the February 23 presidential election, which has been enmeshed in controversy since 2015.
The President has always insisted he possesses the requisite academic qualification for the presidential election and that his certificates were with the Nigerian Army. However, the Army has categorically stated that Buhari’s personal file with them did not contain any of the certificates in dispute. The army’s position was reaffirmed by the first of Buhari’s witnesses, Maj. Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd), who claimed to have been enlisted in the Nigerian Army with the president on April 16, 1962. He listed some of their colleagues to include Brigadier Ola Oni, Major General Duro Ajayi, Major General Shehu Yar’Adua and Brig. Gen. Abdullahi Saleh.
Under cross-examination by counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Yunus Usman (SAN), Tarfa told the tribunal that the Nigerian Army never asked Buhari and others, including himself, to provide their certificates in 1962. Usman had asked: “When you were enlisted into the army in 1962, you were asked to submit your certificate to the Nigerian Army?” Responding, Tarfa said: “There was nothing like that during our time,” but confirmed that English was the official language of communication in the army.
Another defence witness, Henry Adewunmi; a senior official of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), on Wednesday threw a spanner in the works, when he clarified that the Cambridge University International Assessment Education Result said to have been awarded to President Muhammadu Buhari was not the same as a WAEC certificate. Adewunmi, a Deputy Registrar in charge of school registration, explained that the assessment, which led to the issuance of result to Buhari, was moderated by the Cambridge Assessment International Education in conjunction with WAEC.
Led in evidence by Buhari’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the witness told the tribunal that 18 candidates sat for the 1961 WAEC exam and that President Buhari was inclusive and indeed number two on the candidates’ list. The witness further stated that President Buhari sat for eight subjects and had credits in five subjects which comprised; Oral English C5, History A3, Geography C6, Hausa Language C5 and Health Sciences C6. Adewunmi confirmed that Buhari was educated up to Secondary School level and was awarded aggregate 32 and grade 2 for his performance.
However, under cross examination by Atiku and PDP’s counsel, Dr. Levy Uzoukwu, Adewunmi admitted that the assessment result issued to Buhari was not equal to a certificate. Besides, the witness who claimed to have worked with WAEC for 30 years said the assessment report of President Buhari was not a document from WAEC because it was bearing Cambridge University Assessment International Education. Further cross examined by Uzoukwu, Adewunmi admitted that he never worked with the University of Cambridge and that his own signature was not on the assessment report. He added that the attestation letter issued to Buhari on November 2, 2018 was not a certificate and it can be issued under various conditions.
Another witness, Mohammed Abba, a Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari, who identified the president in a group photograph of the 1961 set of Katsina Provincial Secondary School, said that the result sheet possessed by the president was not the same as a certificate. Abba claimed he had known Buhari for over 30 years but he never served in the Nigerian Army and was never a school mate to Buhari. He said the facts he deposed to in his witness statement on oath were obtained from the president’s curriculum vitae and available record on Buhari. When presented with Buhari’s CV, Abba told the tribunal that although schools attended by Buhari were listed, no certificate was listed in the CV or attached to it. On the differences in the name Mohamed Buhari contained in the Cambridge documents and Muhammadu Buhari being the real name of the president, the witness maintained that the two names were the same in Islam.
Two other witnesses called by Buhari, Mohammed Kwatu, a retired broadcaster in Niger State and Usman Dagona, a businessman in Nasarawa State, maintained that the February 23 presidential election was free and fair. When their attention was drawn to some results sheets, they told the tribunal that they were not at the point where alterations were carried out by INEC officials.
The PDP and Atiku had taken the President, All Progressives Congress (APC) and INEC to the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, challenging Buhari’s victory in the February 23, 2019 election. When the case was closed after calling 62 witnesses, the tribunal adjourned briefly to enable Buhari, INEC and APC time to open their defence.
But when the tribunal reconvened on Monday, INEC said it was unnecessary for it to open its defence since the petitioners’ witnesses have provided the required information. Consequently, the tribunal adjourned to enable Buhari to open his own defence, and when the matter was called, the first documents tendered, as exhibit were the President’s academic results.
However, lawyers representing INEC, Yunus Usman (SAN) and APC, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) did not object to the admissibility of the documents. Shortly after, witnesses were called in, Chief of Staff to the President Abba Kyari, admitted that no certificate was listed on Buhari’s curriculum vitae and that none was among the documents obtained from Cambridge University earlier tendered as exhibits.
Kyari also admitted that he obtained the Cambridge documents personally on July 18, 2019, adding that he was 67 years old and that he had known Buhari for almost 40 years. He equally told the tribunal that he signed for and collected the Cambridge documents for the assessment at Cambridge.
Buhari, who opened his defence in the petition against his election on Tuesday, has so far called seven witnesses, who testified for him and also tendered several documents through his counsel. Meanwhile, further defence in the petition continues Thursday.
