THE DEBATE ABOUT BUHARI’S CERTIFICATES Ladies and gentlemen, much has been said about the issue of Buharis certificate(s), Without a doubt, Buhari like most former soldiers of his rank is capable of being a president, however, Section 131 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly provides inter alia: “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if: (a) He is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; (b) He has attained the age of forty years; (c) He is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and (d) He has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.” As could be seen, Section 131 sub-section (d) requires as low as Ordinary Level Certificate at Senior Secondary School Level for a Nigerian man or woman above the age of 40 to stand for election for the post of president. However, there is a legal loophole provided by the said Section 131 sub-section D. The section appears to allow an “equivalent” qualification to be presented to substitute O/Level Secondary School Certificate. The “equivalent” certificate could range from Military training certificate to anything which a court of competent jurisdiction can define. In view of the loophole in the law, it is unlikely for Buhari to be disqualified. Dr. Kato Gogo Kingston, PhD (Law) (East London), LLM, MA, PGDipL, PgDip., GDip, LLB (Hons), B.Ed(Hons), GCert.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 22:11:48 +0000
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