The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted that the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari should produce at least secondary school certificate or be disqualified from the Presidential race.
A statement from the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential campaign organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode said that if General Buhari cannot produce secondary school certificate, “we believe that he is not qualified to run for the Presidency of Nigeria. This is a matter of law and not sentiment. Buhari, just like any other Nigerian, must be compelled to abide by the law and he must prove his eligibility for the Presidential election by simply producing his secondary school certificate.”
Fani-kayode argued that it is disingenuous for Buhari to say that he contested previous elections and that the issue of his qualifications did not arise. He said that if INEC had not complied with the Electoral Act this year, which requires that they paste the academic credentials of all the Presidential candidates, Nigerians would have remained ignorant of the fact that Buhari has probably been submitting affidavits for the past elections.
“The fact that he got away with it in 2003, 2007 and 2011 does not make it right. The minimum that Nigerians require from Buhari is the presentation of his secondary school certificate which enabled him to gain admission into the Nigerian Military College in 1962 and on which basis he became a commissioned officer of the Nigerian Army.
“This forms the fulcrum for the subsequent courses that he attended as he rose in the Army, including the U.S. War College. Failure to produce that school certificate implies that Buhari’s entire career in the Army was based on falsehood which cannot stand. This brings to question the admission system/policy into the Army in the early 1960s.
“Were the rules bent for certain individuals in fulfillment of the quota system? Anyone that reads General Alabi Isama’s book which was published last year will know that this was the case. In fact, Alabi Isama went as far as to allege that some Nigerians were admitted into the military academy without the necessary qualifications like school certificate.
“We believe that Buhari was one of those people and this is why he is unable to produce his certificate. The truth is that he was never qualified for entry into the Military Academy in the first place and consequently he should never have become a commissioned officer let alone a man that rose to the rank of General. At best he ought to have remained a non-commissioned officer.”  [myad]

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organization (APCPCO) has described Sunday night sudden slash in the pump price of premium motor spirit (petrol) as a panicky political measure far too short of the people’s expectation and contrary to the 50 percent relief suggested by the Buhari Team.
Mallam Garba Shehu, Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign said in a statement in Abuja today that “the Jonathan-led PDP government is beginning to listen to public outcry about bad governance, extortion and exploitation of the Nigerian masses in the oil sector where billions of naira is daily being ripped off the pockets of the common men and women through inaccurate pump prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene, despite the dwindling world market prices of these products.”
Garba Shehu faulted both the decrease ratio of N97 to N87 and the timing of the announcement by the Federal Government as “politically motivated, ill-timed and too little, too late.”
He noted that PDP has ran out of ideas for the presidential campaign and has resulted to raking straws from inertia ponds, adding: “this measure is not different from the President’s belated visit to a few places in the North East, a region which has been ravaged and devastated by Boko Haram’s brigandage, a situation to which the number one citizen seemed to be oblivious of until recently.
“The oil price decline is 55% and the cut in the pump price is 11%. The argument is that devaluation which is approximately 10% should be factored in. “However, the timing and the inadequate price cut smacks of incompetence, insincerity and desperation,” the APC Campaign Spokesman said.
According to him, the US has witnessed price cuts in excess of 50% from $4.00 to $2.00 which translates into 50c per litre or N60 per litre, including state taxes. “How can petrol in the US be 25% cheaper than in Nigeria? It just does not make sense. This is too little too late. The alternative will be to further reduce petrol prices and overhaul the subsidy system which is a cesspool of fraud, money laundering and imperfect market structures.”
Garba Shehu questioned the motive and  justification for a mere N10 cut in petrol price considering that global price of crude oil per barrel on which the pricing of petroleum products is predicated, has plummeted from $105 to $50.
“How did they calculate the ratio? Aside, if the new price took effect from 18th January, 2015 what happens to the backlog that has existed since December? Will the Minister and her boss give coupons to Nigerians to fill their tanks to make up for the arrears? Or who is benefiting from this windfall?”
He warned that any attempt by the ruling party to make a political gain out of this natural economic phenomenon of demand and supply would hit the wrong notes with the voters come February 14.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has lamented that no fewer than 700,000 Permanent Voter Cards are lying fallow unclaimed, at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the State.

The governor, who made the disclosure during the campaign rallies today, of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, described the development as disturbing.

The rallies took place at Akwukwu-Igbo, Oshimili North and Issele-Uku, Aniocha North Local Government Areas of the state respectively.

Uduaghan decried the apathy of eligible voters in the state towards the collection of their permanent cards.

He reminded the people that their PVCs are their power to vote and be voted for, saying: “it is your power to deliver Senator Okowa. It is not by coming to rallies that we know you are for us.

“It is by your power of vote. So, go and collect your PVC if you have not because I have it on good authority that over 700,000 PVCs are yet to be collected in Delta State.

“By 12 noon on May 29, this year, you should be referring to me as ex-governor. Then I would have handed over to Senator Okowa. So, if you want that to come to pass, go now and collect your own, if you have not.”

The PDP flag-bearer in the state, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, also expressed concern at the rally and appealed to his supporters to go and collect their PVCs.

Senator Okowa appealed to eligible voters to avail themselves of the last few days provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the collection of the PVCs.

The state chairman of the PDP, Chief Edwin Uzor, who hailed the unprecedented crowd of supporters at the rally, further prayed the defaulters to pick up the PVC.

Uzor emphasized how pleasant it would be when on May 29 Uduaghan would hand over to another PDP successor, maintaining that the party in the state has no alliance with any opposition in the forthcoming election. [myad]

Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali has summoned the Indonesian Ambassador to register his anger and protest on behalf of Nigeria over the execution, by firing squad, of two Nigerians.

A statement issued by the ministry’s Director of Public Communication, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, said the executed Nigerians are Solomon Okafor (Alias Namaona Denils) and Daniels Enemuo (Alias Diarrassoube Mamadou) by the Indonesian government.

It said the Nigerians were executed for drug offences at the Island of Nusakambangu in Cilacap, Central Java Province, in spite of appeals by the Federal Government.

“The executions were carried out despite persistent pleas for clemency made by the federal government, including the National Assembly.

“The executions had taken place against the grain of the excellent relations that subsist between Nigeria and Indonesia.

“Thus, the foreign minister has summoned the Indonesian Ambassador to register Nigeria’s protest.

It strongly appealed to the Indonesian authorities to exercise clemency for other 12 Nigerians on the death row in that country.

According to it, also executed with them were two women, one each from Indonesia and Vietnam, two Brazilians, and one Dutch national.

The statement said the federal government had expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of the deceased.

It also appealed to Nigerians to desist from drug trafficking which attracted capital punishment in Indonesia and in many other countries.

It said it would continue to engage the Indonesian authorities to negotiate and conclude a Prisoner Transfer Agreement.

The statement said the agreement might enable other convicted Nigerians to return home to serve their prison terms.

Indonesia, like Nigeria, is yet to abolish the death penalty although drug offences do not carry capital punishment in Nigeria.

[myad]