Ex-C/River AG hails Tribunal’s judgment on Buhari’s qualification for 2019 election

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Mr Attah Ochinke, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Cross River, has hailed the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal judgment over President Muhammadu Buhari’s qualification to contest the 2019 presidential election.

Attah, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria on the telephone on Wednesday, said that the constitution requires an individual to have a school certificate or its equivalent to be eligible to contest an election.

“The constitution defines school certificate equivalent as the ability to read and write, to the satisfaction of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“So, why were they making heavy weather on the issue of Buhari going to a secondary school when INEC was bound to say we are satisfied that you can read and write? That is the equivalent of school certificate, as stipulated by the constitution.

“I think it was much ado about nothing. The court has touched on the qualification of Buhari. So the issue of him lying under oath does not come in because the court has basically authenticated his qualification.

“With regards to whether or not Buhari has the requisite academic qualifications to contest election under Nigeria law, I believe that the court is right,” he maintained.

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) had filed a petition at the tribunal challenging the educational qualification of Buhari over his alleged non-attachment of his WAEC certificate to the nomination form submitted to INEC.

The Chairman of the tribunal, Garba Mohammed, had struck out the claims by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that Buhari did not possess the required qualification for the election.

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