'President was never involved in certificate scandal', Presidency says

dimeji akinloye

March 26, 2017 9:14 PM

Buhari's certificate issue was raised by those who wanted him disqualified from the 2015 presidential race, in which evidence was provided to prove them wrong.

President Muhammadu Buhari

The Presidency has faulted a media report published by The Punch newspaper, which listed President

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said Buhari has never been involved in any certificate scandal.

Shehu disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, March 26.

The Presidential aide said Buhari's certificate issue was raised by those who wanted him disqualified from the 2015 presidential race, adding that the matter was successfully dealt with before the polls.

Shehu said: "We wish to emphatically state that President Muhammadu Buhari does not fit into categorisation of leaders with certificate scandals because he bears none that is on available records.

"In the course of the contest for the office of the President in 2015, a number of wild, untrue and malicious allegations were made against him in order to stop him from contesting for the office in the election.

"The issue of certificates was raised against him but the campaign successfully dealt with the allegations by providing evidence that not only was he qualified to run, he had a far higher academic qualification than is required by the constitution. As a result, he went on to run for the office and eventually win."

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Others listed in the Punch report include:

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Senate President, Evans Enwerem, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salisu Buhari; Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose; and a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

dimeji akinloye