Just In: WASSCE Certificate not a prerequisite for election- Tribunal

The Justice Garba led Presidential election petition tribunal has on Wednesday said that educational certificate is not a requirement for qualification to contest election.

This was in accordance to the petition against President Buhari by Abubakar Atiku, which read that the former(Buhari) had no educational requirement for qualification to contest election.

Justice Garba, who then read the judgement, purported that President Buhari ” is  eminently qualified”  to contest the 2019 presidential election.

Justice Garba, citing a previous Supreme Court judgment, said, “Submission of educational certificate is not a requirement for qualification to contest election for governor under section 177 of the Constitution.

According to him,“It is established that a candidate is not required under the Electoral Act to attach his certificate to his Form CF001 before a candidate is adjudged to have the requisite qualification to contest the election.

Thus our conclusion is that Buhari is not only qualified but eminently qualified to contest the presidential election.”

Atiku had challenged the President’s re-election, citing election irregularities and non-compliance with the electoral act.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Buhari who represented the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the election ,after polling 15,191, 847 votes while the PDP candidate garnered 11, 262, 978 votes.

The five-man panel led by Justice Muhammad Garba ruled on several petitions relating to the presidential election.

Other members of the panel are – Justice Abdul Aboki  (Court of Appeal, Abuja), Justice Joseph Ikyegh (Court of Appeal, Benin), Samuel Oseji (Court of Appeal, Lagos) and Justice Peter Ige ( Court of Appeal, Abuja).