In an advertorial in the Vanguard Newspaper edition of January 23, 2015 at page 47 by the Arewa Youth Alliance and signed by one Alhaji Abubakar Abudulliahi, its National co-ordinator, the organ vented its reservation and annoyance on the candidature of General Muhammadu Buhari on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The Public Notice was entitled: SAI BUHARI!! WHAT A FATAL ERROR!!
In its second paragraph, the Alliance was of the strong view that General Muhammadu Buhari’s failing health was of great concern to them. It further stated that his official age of 73 years when in fact the General is already above 80 years is unacceptable. When this age is compared with his age mates and contemporaries, his 73 years declaration should be seen as purely a fallacy and only in line with the Nigerian culture of age falsification. Ordinarily, the Alliance opined that Buhari cannot be fit as a fiddle. They cited instances of how the retired Major General fainted in Calabar and in Owerri where he appeared very frail and exhausted with his hands shaking visibly while he was holding the microphone, insisting these were justifiable testaments to their worry. For the purpose of clarity, the two instances were the APC’s Presidential campaigns in Imo and Cross River States respectively.
Further, the Arewa Alliance posited that during the APC’s presidential primaries, their preferred aspirant was Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso or Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal with Oshiomhole/Fashola/Amaechi as Vice Presidential candidate and that any of this combination would have been a great game changer. Additionally, they admitted that the Yoruba Political class tricked them in 2007 which led to the emergence of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as the presidential flag-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It should be recalled that Obasanjo drafted Yar’Adua into the presidential race even when he was allegedly aware that the late president had a terminal state of health. They stated that this is a replay of that era.
The Alliance also alleged that the Yoruba leadership of the APC would only be waiting to step into the shoes of Buhari if he is found incapacitated by reason of ill-health and unable to carry out the functions of the office of president, if elected. I have only paraphrased the content of the said Advertorial and its summary thereof.
The fear of the youthful Alliance cannot be ignored or wished-away in view of the fact that these are fundamental issues to address by those who gave the presidential ticket to the retired Army Officer. The event of Port Harcourt where Buhari also campaigned was not mentioned by the Arewa Youth Alliance, perhaps, it was an omission. In fact, Buhari was to fall flat when he attempted to mount the podium but was roundly rescued by his aides and security details. This was another episode to indicate that the APC presidential candidate is not strong enough to be bundled by the APC to campaign through the length and breath of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is also expected to campaign in the Federal Capital Territory and Abuja.
Apart from the health-related issues of Muhammadu Buhari, he has the burden of proof of his statement of result being canvassed by those who are opposed to him as a presidential hopeful. The said statement of result, from all indications, is the academic property of one Mohammed Buhari. Within all known logical reasoning, Mohammed Buhari and Muhammadu Buhari is not the same name or person. The names are obviously different from each other. From a closer look at the statement of result presented by Muhammadu Buhari and his APC, it is so evidently clear that Mathematics as a subject was carelessly altered. So, why the glaring alteration? I want to add that the alteration in any statement of result renders it invalid.
It is to my knowledge that an issued statement of result arising from the participation of the individual in an examination can only be recognised pending the issuance of a valid certificate from the examination body. A statement of result lapses immediately such a certificate is issued and given to the beneficiary. Statement of result of any kind is not competent to replace a certificate after so many years. The question is: where is the original certificate of Buhari’s statement of result?
The All Progressives Party (APC) has the crude intention of arrogance and impunity to insult the intelligence of Nigerians over this matter. At the initial stages of the certificate scandal, the managers of the APC tended to wave it off as a non-issue. The likes of Lai Mohammed, already aging and analogue in content, could not even defend his principal’s inability to say the truth about whether he ever wrote the secondary school certificate examination or not. As a lawyer, Lai Mohammed failed to do the needful, rather, he preferred to stress that the certificate imbroglio was not an issue. Honestly, the lawyer ran his mouth consistently as if he is suffering from Jonathanphobia.
Joe Igbokwe, state publicity secretary of the Lagos APC, equally re-echoed the position of his National Publicity Secretary. He was definitely not comfortable all through the Channels TV’s interview because it was not very easy for him to defend the certificate of a Major General (rtd) who did not take into deep consideration the futuristic value of his educational background. There is also no doubt that the certificate issue of the APC presidential candidate was poorly handled and managed by those political jobbers in the political party.
This matter would have been closed long time ago if Buhari and his handlers had told the whole truth and nothing but the truth. If he was drafted into the Army towards the terminal of his secondary school days without writing the final examination and was recruited without any result or certificate, for God’s sake, Buhari should summon enough courage to say so. The era of abracadabra and Oluwole’s statement of results and certificates have become ancient, archaic and old fashion. Let his conscience be the best judge.
Prince Mike Arayuwa Wilkie
Email: [email protected]
