₦airaland Forum

A NUMBER of Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) leaders from the North are at loggerheads with the party’s Presidential Campaign Council over the controversy surrounding the secondary school certificate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate,General Muhammadu Buhari.
The Northern PDP leaders are upset with the presidential campaign council for ‘ridiculing’ Buhari over the school certificate issue when the facts are obvious,multiple party sources told The Nation yesterday.

over the school certificate issue when the facts are obvious, multiple party sources toldThe Nationyesterday.
Information yesterday from the United States of America (USA) where Buhari attended one of the most prestigious military institutions also shed light on his training there.

Sources said that the certificate saga which the campaign council had obviously planned to use to rubbish Buhari’s integrity has now backfired in the North and the immediate worry is that the dust raised by the controversy could cost the PDP more sympathy in the region.

“Most PDP leaders are worried that the issues being raised on Buhari’s eligibility may backfire on the party’s electoral fortunes,” one source said.
“I am aware that most PDP leaders and members from the North are just unhappy because the little goodwill for the party in the region may be completely lost.

“Already, the PDP is fast losing ground in the North since the attacks on Buhari’s personality and credentials started. Some of those who had been sympathetic to PDP are now having a rethink.
“Some PDP leaders are already calling for a ceasefire on this certificate matter because it is portraying the party and its candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, as desperate.”

Another respected PDP leader said: “Some of our leaders and members in the North are angry. They are trying to use the certificate saga to reopen old prejudices by the South that Northerners are largely uneducated or without certificates. In 1979, they did it to ex-President Shehu Shagari by deriding him as a mere Grade II teacher.
“This type of politics will certainly not help our party at all. We have been making representation to the PDP leadership to halt this hate campaign.”

The PDP may also have breached Section 31(3-5) of the Electoral Act for joining issues with Buhari on the certificate matter.
Sources at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the PDP should have laid its complaints between December 25, 2014 and January 1, 2015.

The commission, in its timetable for the general elections fixed December 25, 2014 to January 1, 2015 for claims and objections.
It was learnt that the PDP has failed to comply with three issues in Section 31 of the Electoral Act.

These are:
• Refusal to comply with the seven-day period for claims and objections
• Failure to apply to the INEC for a copy of Buhari’s nomination form
• Ruling party yet to file any application before a High Court on Buhari’s credentials
Section 31(3-6) says: “The commission shall within seven days of the receipt of the personal particulars of the candidate publish same in the constituency where the candidate intends to contest the election.

“A person may apply to the commission for a copy of the nomination form affidavit and any other document submitted by a candidate at an election and the commission shall, upon the payment of a prescribed fee, issue person with a certified copy of the documents within 14 days.

“Any person who has reasonable grounds to believe that any information given by a candidate in the affidavit or any document submitted by that candidate is false may file a suit at the Federal High Court, High Court of a state or FCT against such person seeking a declaration that the information contained in the affidavit is false.

“If the court determines that any of the information contained in the affidavit of any document submitted by that candidate is false, the court shall issue an order disqualifying the candidate from contesting the election.”
A highly-placed source said: “The PDP is confused because there is no record showing that either the party or any of its leaders has applied for a copy of the nomination form of Buhari from the INEC.

“Instead, the party is just playing to the gallery in the media to heat up the polity. This is unfortunate for the nation’s political environment.

“As I am talking to you, the PDP is yet to comply with Section 31 of the Electoral Act on issues against Buhari.”.........

President Goodluck Jonathan will on Saturday take his presidential campaign train to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, in continuation of his re-election campaign rally.

This will be the second time the president will be making a trip to Maiduguri in two weeks, the first being a visit to soldiers who are battling terrorists in the state in commemoration of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

The inability of the Jonathan administration to arrest the Boko Haram insurgency has become a campaign issue of the presidential candidates of two major political parties – Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress and
Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Jonathan will be expected to make the issue of the Boko Haram menace one of the issues he will be touching on while in Maiduguri, as the people of the town will want to know what the President plans to do to stop the reign of the Boko Haram insurgents.

[b]Coming on the heels of the stoning of Jonathan’s campaign convoy in Katsina and Bauchi states, the governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, on Friday made a strong appeal to his supporters and all citizens of the state not to show disrespect to the President and his entourage during the campaign visit.
Shettima made the call in a statement by his media aide, Mallam Isa Gusau.

The governor said the call became necessary because of recent incidents in Bauchi and Katsina states during which irate youths reportedly went wild, pelting the President’s convoy with various objects.
He described the act as disrespectful, show of intolerance and extremely bad politics.

The governor said, “From what I have read or heard in the media, so far, there has not been any issue of such in any APC-controlled states visited by the President and Borno should not be an exception. We have political differences and our differences are legitimate and based on the principles of our political parties and what we stand for.

“But we must remember that His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as citizens of this country, we have an obligation to respect his office and his person.

“Our millions of citizens, who support the APC in Borno State and our presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, and anyone that supports me or any of our National and State Assembly candidates in the state, should shun any act of violence, intolerance and unlawful political behaviour before, during and after the President’s visit and should remain law abiding citizens of Borno State as our laws, norms and values demand.”
[/b]

Greatihex:
Oya Buhari, do the needful and request for your certificate.

Firefire:
anything not favorable to APC would be castigated.


What a 'CHANGE' Party.

OrlandoOwoh:
I beg to disagree with you. Channels' Sunrise Daily is the best and balanced breakfast political TV talkshow. Maupe Ogun never did anything wrong. She was only trying to give a balanced question. The only person that fvcked up yesterday was Chamberlain Usoh on the amendment of the Electoral Act. He didn't know when it was amended. When Lai Muhammad said 2010, and based on its provision, Buhari contested in 2011, why raising eyebraw in 2015 over his certificate, Chamberlain was dumbfounded and tried to cover his folly by still arguing. Even when Sulaiman intervened, Chamberlain refused to give up. The headship of the team should be given to Maupe or Sulaiman.

awodman:
Also Jarus you didn't explain how Shehu Yardua who joined the service in 1959 got to write WASC together with Buhari in 1961

“This is your state because anytime you go to the East ‘home’ you hardly stay for two weeks and then you return back to Kaduna. So even if you go now it is temporary and then after the elections you will want to come back? Then my question is, won’t you be ashamed of coming back because people will see you as cowards?

TRUTHTELA:
Nigeria, is a funny place/ Buhari, planned to address the press about his certificate today, on the same day, The Army released his entry documents. What a coincidence

If Buhari, doesn't have his WAEC with him, and assumed that it was with the Army, where did he see his WAEC No

ostopsmich:
it is not every lies from APC fools you guys should respond to, even the blind can hear the voice of the mammoth crowd in PDP kano rally....all APC fanatics will be disappointed and put to shame as that of Ekiti election come Feb 14

comos:
from affidavit to army,
from Army to IBB
from IBB to secondary school.
from secondary school to

Buhari should please show Nigerian his certificate to prove his integrity,
failure to do so tells that the so call "change" is just a smoke screen

lecturerdabo:
So if I quote my matric number, I'm a graduate?

I so love your logic above

Mrbigman1:
Hope u ve an idea that buhari contested for 199 primaries under pdp which Obj eventually won.
Now ask ur self, what was he going to rescue den? D money him and is co-hunters abacha made away with abi d one dey allowed abdulsami to ship with impunity? He'll no, buhari is only so hungry for power like his the only one born to be dia.
In 1984, he detained underage children and kept dem in custody to be persecuted at 18, and that's d way to fight corruption?
It's a shame that we re just driven by sentiment and hatred without finding real course to hold on to. I dnt support any of them but buhari can't just be to trust in

customized07:
This man can't help but show his furious attribute, he will unleash his true colour if he wins.

There was outrage yesterday over an advertisement placed in some national newspapers in support of President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election campaign.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform the president is contesting, was under fire over the advertisement placed by Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The advertisement titled “Nigerians be warned”, quoted a Bible passage saying “I have set before thee life and death…”. It has photographs of the late Heads of State Gen. Murtala Muhammed, Gen. Sani Abacha, the late President Musa Yar’Adua – all of who died in office and the photo of Gen Buhari, “age 72 from NorthWest again”. “Will you allow history to repeat itself? Enough of state burials. Nigerians vote wisely. Vote Goodluck Jonathan. Northern presidency should wait till 2019,” it said.

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) described the advertisement as “reckless”, adding that PDP leaders have turned themselves to God.

President of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the advertising regulatory body in Nigeria, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, described the advertisement as “unconventional, shocking and controversial”.

Gen. Buhari, on his tweeter handle thisIsBuhari, said: “How can his (Jonathan’s) campaign be talking about dead ex-leaders, jogging around the stadium and outright lies about my health?”


The All Progressives Congress (APC) described the advertisement as “choosing death for our candidate”.
The party accused the PDP of threatening Gen. Buhari’s life and paying lip service to the Abuja accord signed last week by the parties to ensure a violence-free election.

The Director of Media and Publicity of the Buhari campaign, Mallam Garba Shehu, said in a statement that “the PDP and its surrogates should be held responsible if anything happens to Gen. Buhari, before, during and after the elections”.

The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation advised President Jonathan and the PDP leadership to take charge of their campaign before their surrogates plunge Nigeria into confusion and anarchy.
It urged all APC members and millions of supporters of Gen. Buhari across the country to remain calm and not play into the hands of the PDP hatchet men to be provoked and thereby, giving them the much-needed excuse to abort this democracy before or after the elections.

Shehu said: ”This is the height of desperate tactics by the PDP, which is capable of degenerating into unnecessary bloodshed and destruction. They are choosing death for us. This is not politics. We are, therefore, asking our supporters to stay calm and be law-abiding.”

“Even as a candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has a duty to lead the country with responsibility up until May 29, when a new President will be inaugurated,” he said, adding that the on-going campaign on Gen. Buhari’s health, using forged medical reports, and now suggestions of death are reeking of plots to eliminate him (Buhari) before or after he wins.

The Organisation added that “the world is watching and that if anything happens to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari before, during or after the elections, under the pretext of X, Y or Z, we shall be left with no option than to conclude that the PDP and their surrogates are to be held accountable”.

“All APC members and millions of supporters of Gen. Buhari across the country should not play into the hands of the PDP hatchet men to be provoked and thereby, giving them the much-needed excuse to abort this democracy before or after the elections.”

The APC stressed that it is committed to the peace accord signed by political parties under the supervision of the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr. Kofi Annan and the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku.
It asked the police, the SSS, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the advertising regulatory agency in Nigeria (APCON) to do their jobs by not allowing these dangerous threats to democracy go unchecked.

“Once again, the APC campaign advises all its supporters to strive to stay above the ‘rofo-rofo’, which is clearly designed to provoke our supporters to help the PDP’s sinister agenda to abort this hard fought for democracy in view of their impending defeat in the forthcoming general elections,” Shehu said.

The APC Campaign said petitions were being sent to APCON, INEC, DSS, the Police and concerned newspapers involved “to protest this malicious death wish”.

Also yesterday, Baraje, a one-time national chair of the PDP, now a member of the campaign council of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation, condemned in strong terms and in its entirety the advertisement.
He described it as “high sense of irresponsibility and an insensible act.”

Baraje said the advertisement was “not only reckless, uncalled for, but a type that can cause anarchy and crisis in the country.”
He expressed surprise that the publication by Fayose came a few days after President Jonathan, Gen Buhari and other presidential candidates signed a non-violence agreement for peaceful elections next month.

Baraje said: “There is a limit to the tolerance of well-meaningful Nigerians to such inflammatory statements such as that of Governor Fayose. This shows the extent of the desperation of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.”
He drew the attention of Nigerians and INEC to the inciting statement credited to Fayose, asking them to call the governor to order.

Baraje said: “Such a statement apart from having the tendency to cause anarchy and acrimony, the PDP seems to be preparing grounds for violence a few days to the general elections
“Fayose should not dare God by asking Nigerians to chose between life and death which made him to refer to General Buhari, the APC presidential candidate in a news and pictorial advertisement sponsored in front page of a national daily as a dead man due to his age.

”With the statement credited to the Ekiti State Governor and the statement by the PDP Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu that the PDP is a party of injustice and a party that lacks equity where monkey dey work baboon dey chop, the present leaders of the APC have been vindicated by their move to leave the PDP enmasse and defect to the APC.”

He warned the leadership of the PDP against bringing such injustice to the nation.
“Nigerians should be patient and not take the laws into their hands because the ruling party (PDP) is already jittery about the impending outcome of the forthcoming elections which is already favouring the APC considering the massive support the APC has been receiving from all campaigns they have embarked upon,” he cautioned.

Baraje drew the attention of the Inspector-General of Police, the INEC Chairman, DSS and other security agencies to the inflammatory statements originating from the PDP and its candidates particularly Governor Fayose.
He urged the security agencies to “do something urgently so as not to cause crisis in the country.”

psucc:
No all others sold higher only Dangote sells for N1000.

hyfr:
I told my friends Nigeria must divide this year or next. Mark my words. An illiterate cannot govern a Phd holder,mba nu