Femi Adesina,
presidential spokesman, says the military had admitted losing President
Muhammadu Buhari’s certificate.
In
an interview with The Nation,
Adesina was quoted as saying the issue is dead and those still discussing it
are “idle”.
Buhari had failed to
submit his academic certificates to the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), claiming it is still with the military.
The president’s claim had
triggered a controversy on the matter, with some Nigerians insisting he must
present his credentials.
Adesina, however, said
those raising the issue are the opposition parties whose defeat is “imminent”
ahead of the 2019 elections.
“The certificate saga is
a dead issue, only idle people will consider it. It is something that had been
laid to rest before the 2015 general elections,” Adesina was quoted as saying.
“Those raising the issue
are idle and they have run out of ideas. They see defeat staring them in the
face and they are desperate to cling to any straw. This issue was resolved
before the 2015 election.”
He said when Buhari and
some of his colleagues joined the military, their original certificates were
taken from them.
“The military knew where
they kept the original certificates of the president. In fact, a former chief
of defence Staff, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, corroborated that the military
collected the original certificates of all its officers,” he added.
“The military already
said they lost the certificates. But does it mean that it did not exist that
the president went to school, sat for examinations and passed; attended
military courses and War College?
“It does not change the
fact that the president rose through the ranks to become a major-general in the
Nigerian army and a military head of state.
“Didn’t those opposed to
president Buhari go to court over his certificate and lost before? They will
still lose this time around. It is a dead issue.”
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