Why we won’t submit Buhari’s WASC to INEC — APC

* Why we took result to Villa –WAEC
* I spent 9 years in primary, secondary schools –Buhari

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that it will not
forward to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a
copy of the attestation certificate of President Muhammadu Buhari’s
West African School Certificate (WASC) presented to him on Friday
by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) because it is no
longer necessary to do so.

Speaking to Saturday Tribune on phone, the National Publicity
Secretary of the ruling party, Lanre Isa-Onilu, said INEC had never
expressed doubt about the claim made by President Buhari in the
affidavit attached to his personal particulars submitted to the
electoral body that his original WASC certificate was with the
Military Board.

He said: “We don’t need to submit to INEC. INEC has never
expressed reservations about the documents that President Muhammadu
Buhari attached to his personal particulars. Now that WAEC has
issued Mr President his certificate, any of the Doubting Thomases
can approach the body (WAEC) for authentication or
clarification.”

The president had been widely reported not to possess the
certificate following his inability to submit it to INEC for the
purpose of election.

But his special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina,
disclosed on Friday that the president now had an attestation to
the certificate from WAEC.

He said Buhari received the attestation certificate and
confirmation of school certificate result from the examination body
on Friday.

In a tweet on his Twitter handle @FemiAdesina, he said: “WAEC
presents attestation certificate and confirmation of school cert
result to President Buhari. What will the naysayers say next?”

In an official statement released later, the Presidency said the
documents were presented to the president at the State House,
Abuja, during a courtesy visit by a delegation from WAEC led by the
body’s Registrar, Dr Iyi Uwadiae.

Also on the delegation were Olutise Adenipekun, Head, National
Office, WAEC; Abiodun Aduloju, Head Public Affairs, WAEC and
Olufemi Oke, Zonal Coordinator, WAEC, Abuja.

Signed by Adesina, the statement said the president thanked the
examination board, established in 1952 to conduct the WASC
examination for university and JAMB entry examination in West
African countries, for upholding its integrity over the years,
adding that he did not expect anything less from the
institution.

According to the statement, the president said it would have
been impossible for him to have attended the Defence Services Staff
College, India (1973) and thereafter, United States Army War
College as a Nigerian military officer if he didn’t sit for the
WASC examinations in 1961.

I spent 9 years in primary, secondary schools
–Buhari

The President recounted that during his secondary school days,
it was very difficult to commit examination fraud, even though it
was not impossible.

It quoted the president as saying: “My colleagues and I who
spent close to nine years in boarding school both in primary and
secondary, including Gen. Musa Yar’Adua, when we intended to join
the military, we had to take a military examination.

“We were examined in three subjects, English, Mathematics and
General Knowledge, because English is the language for general
instruction throughout the country because of our colonial
heritage.

“Mathematics in the military was necessary, coupled with
Geography. We were trained how to be dropped off in the bush, given
only a pair of compass and since we were not astronomers, you have
to learn to find your way, calculate, using the Pythagoras Theorem
and others to work out your position.”

Why we took result to Villa –WAEC

WAEC, however, said that the media frenzy that trailed its
presentation of its certificate to President Buhari at the Villa on
Friday was unnecessary.

In a short telephone interview with Saturday Tribune on Friday,
the Head of Public Affairs Division of WAEC in Nigeria, Mr Demianus
Ojijeogu, said what the body presented to the president was an
attestation of result, and not a certificate.

“The Registrar to Council, Dr Iyi Uwadiae, and in company of the
Head of National Office of WAEC in Nigeria, Mr Olu Adenipekun, went
to the Villa to present not a certificate but an attestation of
result.

“When we issue attestation of result, it comes with a passport
photograph of the candidate. It’s not a certificate,” he said.

When did the president apply for it? Saturday Tribune probed
further. To this, the WAEC spokesman said what was important was
that the president applied, and was issued his attestation of
result.

“We can’t be saying he applied yesterday or day before
yesterday; the only thing is that he applied, and we must give
honour to whom honour is due as the president of the country. There
is nothing wrong in that (taking the document to the Villa),” he
said.

The photograph on the document issued to the president has also
been an object of controversy with many saying that it was
incongruous that the Buhari’s 1961 ‘certificate’ would bear the
image of an adult Buhari.

But Demianus also explained this.

“When we issue attestation of result, it comes with a photograph
the person presented when he was applying for the attestation of
result.

“It’s not a certificate; it’s attestation of result. We did that
(started issuing attestation of result) because of the rate at
which candidates were losing their certificate; since we (WAEC)
don’t issue certificate twice.

“So, we issue attestation of result for those who have lost
their certificate, or their certificate is damaged or they cannot
find it. You can apply for attestation of result. And whatever
passport you submitted when you applied for it is what will appear
on the attestation of result.”

Asked in another discussion why it is now that WAEC is giving
Buhari attestation of result and not much earlier, he said Buhari
didn’t apply for it until now.

On when Buhari collected the original certificate, he said since
the examination was a school-based one, the candidate collected it
from his school and WAEC would not know when he did so.

In his remarks earlier at the Villa, WAEC Registrar, Uwadiae,
said it was possible for candidates to lose their examination
certificates through fire or any other unfortunate incident.

“We don’t issue certificates twice but we can issue attestations
or duplicate copy of the certificate.

“We also have what we refer to as confirmation; usually,
universities were using this in those days when Information
Technology was not in vogue.

“Whoever sat for WASC exams in whatever year, we have the
records in our database, and Mr President, we have the records of
the examinations you sat in 1961.

“We have the attestation of results which we issue to candidates
who lost their certificates and confirmation of results,” Dr
Uwadiae said.