Muhammadu Buhari Army denies being in possession of Presidential candidate’s certificates

The Nigerian Army has reportedly denied being in possession of the academic credentials of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari had said in an affidavit submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that his certificates were in the possession of the Secretary, Military Board.

However, the Army in refuting the claim stated that it does not hold on to the original certificates of either retired or serving soldiers.

According to Vanguard, a military source stated that “the Army cannot keep anybody’s original certificate because it is the personal property of the owner.”

The source also reportedly stated that original certificates are only required upon admission into the military and that the Army only keeps photocopies of such credentials.

“The original certificate of any officer or soldier is only needed at the point of entry into the service either as a cadet officer entering the Nigerian Defence Academy, or the recruitment officers when interviewing recruits to be sent to the depot for training. That is so, because they are needed to verify what were in the photocopies supplied by them or from the necessary examining bodies,” the source said.

The source also reportedly added that anyone claiming that the Military Secretary is in possession of his original certificates is doing so because of an “ulterior motive.”