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Buhari Claims Far More Educational Qualification than Atiku
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President Muhammadu Buhari has accused the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, of not possessing the statutory educational qualification to contest the February 23, 2019 election.
In his counter-accusation, Buhari dared Atiku to produce his “educational certificates, indicating the schools attended by him, with dates,” before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, winner of the election.
But Atiku and the PDP filed a petition before the tribunal seeking an order nullifying Buhari’s victory and another order declaring them as the true winner of the poll.
The petitioners alleged, among others, that Buhari gave false information about his school certificate in the Form CF001, which he submitted to INEC.
They had alleged that Buhari did not possess secondary school certificate he laid claim to in the form.
But in a reply filed on his behalf on Wednesday by his lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the President said he possessed more than the constitutionally required educational qualifications to contest the election.
He said it was Atiku who lacked the required educational qualification and challenged him to contradict the assertion with proof.
Buhari said he was “head and shoulder above” Atiku in terms of educational qualifications, training and courses attended, both within and outside Nigeria.
He also said he surpassed Atiku in terms of acquisition of knowledge, certificates, laurels, medals and experience.
The reply read in part, “The respondent (Buhari) avers that he is far more qualified, both constitutionally and educationally, to contest and occupy the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria than the 1st petitioner; and that in terms of educational qualifications, training and courses attended, both within and outside Nigeria, he is head and shoulder above the 1st petitioner in terms of acquisition of knowledge, certificates, laurels, medals and experience.
“Respondent states further that it is the 1st petitioner who is not qualified to contest the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and challenges the educational credentials and certificates of the 1st petitioner.
“The 1st petitioner is hereby given notice to produce and tender his educational certificates, indicating the schools attended by him, with dates.”
Buhari denied submitting false information to INEC in respect of his educational qualification.
He quoted his resume as reading, in part:
“Elementary School Daura and Maid’adua – 1948 to 1952;
“Middle School, Katsina – 1953 to 1956;
“Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Daura Government College, Katsina) – 1956 to 1961.”
The reply added, “He (Buhari) did not, at any time, provide any false information in the Form CF001 submitted to the 1st respondent, either in 2014 or 2018.
“The affidavit of compliance to the 2019 Form CF001 was correct in every material particular.
“In filling Form CF001 in 2014 and 2019, the respondent was not oblivious of the constitutional qualifications stipulated in Section 131 of the Constitution and interpreted in Section 318 of the same Constitution.
“Petitioners themselves are also not oblivious of the fact that the respondent possesses far more than the constitutional threshold expected of a candidate contesting for the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Buhari asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition, saying that it contained more of pre-election issues, which the Court of Appeal, sitting as a tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain.
He argued that the petitioners’ claims were self-defeating.
He noted that while the petitioners claimed to have won the last presidential election and also won elections in many states in the South-South and the South-East regions of the country, they also urged the court to nullify the election and order a fresh presidential election.
Buhari argued that by virtue of Section 137 of the Electoral Act the, petitioners could not question the results of elections in states where they claimed to have won and still retain themselves as petitioners.
He faulted the petitioners’ claim that the election was marred by corrupt practices and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
He added, “To the knowledge of the petitioners themselves, and acceptance of the 1st respondent in particular, as well as Nigerians generally, the respondent meets far more than the constitutional and educational threshold demanded of a candidate contesting for the office of President of Nigeria.”
Buhari also denied the claim by Atiku that the TraderMoni policy of the government was a vote-buying measure.
He argued that the policy formed one of the many social intervention policies of the Federal Government, directed at alleviating the suffering of the masses.
The Punch
Headlines
Court Orders INEC to Publish Adebutu’s Name as Ogun PDP Governorship Candidate Within 24 Hours
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Ladi Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun State election within 24 hours.Judge Peter Lifu gave the order on Friday in a judgement following a suit filed by Mr Adebutu and the PDP to challenge INEC’s exclusion of his name from the final list of candidates for the upcoming 6 February 2027 governorship election.
He consequently declared the exclusion “unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.”
In resolving the issues raised by parties, Mr Lifu held that the power to nominate candidates for “elections rested solely with political parties.” He ruled that “Neither INEC nor any other authority could take over that responsibility.”
The judge faulted the commission for waiting more than four months before “belatedly publishing the final list on 10 October” without informing the plaintiffs of any intention to exclude their candidate.
He questioned INEC’s decision to raise the issue after the primary had been conducted and monitored, when it could have raised any concerns in its monitoring report.
Mr Lifu warned that allowing INEC to exercise such powers would amount to a “dangerous show of power”.
He said such authority could allow the commission to disqualify candidates only days before an election, adding that INEC did not possess absolute powers.
The judge also held that the membership register tendered before the court contained Mr Adebutu’s name against serial number 1536.
He said the evidence established that Mr Adebutu was a member of the PDP and that it was the political party, not INEC, that had the authority to determine its membership.
The judge questioned why INEC considered it its responsibility to determine who belonged to a political party, holding that the commission exceeded its powers by omitting Mr Adebutu’s name.
The dispute
The dispute followed the exclusion of Mr Adebutu and his running mate from the final list of candidates published by INEC for the 6 February 2027 Ogun State governorship election.
INEC published the final list on 10 October, featuring 13 governorship candidates but excluding the PDP from the race.
INEC said its decision followed the PDP’s alleged failure to comply with the membership register requirements under the Electoral Act 2026.
Section 77(5)–(7) of the Act requires political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within the stipulated period. The provisions also empower the commission to scrutinise the registers.
In September, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the provisions in a case involving the Zenith Labour Party and INEC. The ruling affirmed the requirement for political parties to submit their membership registers before conducting valid primaries.
Following the exclusion, the PDP and Mr Adebutu approached the Federal High Court in Abuja in October, asking it to compel INEC to recognise him as the party’s governorship candidate.
The plaintiffs challenged the commission’s decision, arguing that it violated their right to fair hearing and breached provisions of the Electoral Act. They asked the court to set aside the decision and direct INEC to publish Mr Adebutu’s name as the party’s governorship candidate within 24 hours of its order.
INEC opposed the suit, maintaining that Mr Adebutu’s name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to the commission. It therefore urged the court to dismiss the suit for being incompetent.
Source: Premium Times
Former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss Pochettino would have an enormous task on his hands to revive a club that has never recovered from the departure of Alex Ferguson 13 years ago.
The Red Devils, once the dominant force in English football, have been overtaken by Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
United’s next game is against fierce rivals Liverpool at Anfield on November 22.
President Bola Tinubu has rewarded each player of the Flamingos with a savings certificate worth N100 million, after the team became the first African nation to win the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, announced the awards at a reception at the Presidential Banquet Hall, Abuja, where she represented the President.
The head coach is to receive N100 million in cash, while each member of the technical crew gets N50 million.
She praised the team for winning six consecutive matches, and for the humility, discipline and respect they showed after the final.
Senator Tinubu said the victory would inspire young girls and show that their ambitions can be realised on the world stage.
She also commended the coaches, technical and medical staff, administrators, parents and fans for their contributions.
The U-17 team won their first FIFA World Cup title after defeating Japan 2-1 in the final on November 7, with goals from Awawu Bashiru and Oluebube Umejiaku securing the historic victory.
The Flamingos lost their opener 2-1 to Poland, but dominated in the remaining matches, defeating defending champions North Korea, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.
Their first-ever appearance in the final was sealed with a 3-1 victory over Brazil, before taking home the trophy after beating Japan.
The players have received commendations from government officials and football fans around the world.
President Tinubu congratulated the Flamingos for becoming the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Tinubu, in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said he received the news upon his return from campaign engagements in Akwa Ibom and Rivers States.
He also described Nigeria’s maiden triumph as a proud moment for the country and a landmark achievement for African women’s football.
The Senate also pledged a N100 million reward for the Flamingos.
The pledge followed a motion moved by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Abdul Ningi, who congratulated the players on their outstanding performance and commended the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for its role in the team’s achievement.
The latest feat by a Nigerian sports team came less than two years after the senior women’s football team, Super Falcons, won their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco.
In 2025, the D’Tigress won a historic 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title.
