Presidential Tribunal: ELFON spokesman comes To Buhari's Rescue

....Describes attack on panel members as Merchandised brainwashing propaganda.

As reactions, mainly from the opposition driven Coalition of United Political Parties(CUPPS) and other passing comments on different media platforms,continue to trail the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal,which dismissed the petition of Atiku Abubaka and Peoples Democratic Party against the declaration of  Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress for want of proof, the National publicity secretary of Emerging Leaders Forum of Nigeria (ELFON); Hon. Chukwunonye Irouno yesterday in Owerri, the Imo state capital while speaking to newsmen, x-rayed the judgment and educated the public on vital issues surrounding the said judgement.

Below were Hon. Irouno's submissions:

I hope we are not allowing the deliberately merchandised brainwashing propaganda of people of extreme political interest to displace our natural sense of judgment in this matter.

It is either most commentators have not grabbed the true content of this well considered judgment produced by the consensual decision of five high ranking Justices of the panel or they simply chose to join the bandwagon of biased people of interest. 

Take a look at the definite delivery of the panel on this subject of secondary school certificate and see if you can validly puncture it.

"If the 2nd Respondent (Buhari) has not presented his secondary school certificate to the Army during his commission, where did the Army get its academic qualifications quoted in form 199 by the Army? There is no doubt that the 2nd respondent is not only qualified but also eminently to contest for the said office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria". Again,

" Whether the name is spelt "U" or "O", in as much as the name Buhari belongs indisputably to the 2nd despondent, the certificate belongs to him".

Points in issue:

1.President Buhari submitted an affidavit where he swore that he submitted his secondary school certificate to the Nigerian Army,in whose custody same should be,having lost the said certificate during war or in one of his military adventures.

2.The Army didn't boldly or evidently say that Buhari never submitted his certificate to them but that it could not be found in their custody (a case of misplacement of the document).

3.The President applied to WAEC, the body in charge of secondary schools examination and issuance of certificate, which in compliance, reissued certificate to Buhari, having considered his claim.

3.The WAEC while issuing the certificate, wrote Muhammed instead of Mohammed and this discrepancy in the letters 'U' and 'O' was raised.

How can the judgment quoted above be said to mean that the Judges used Affidavit to banish Certificate, as being brandished on the internet  by Atiku supporters?

Is Affidavit no longer an age long legal instrument for validation of missing items in Nigeria or is Buhari above natural hazards of war? 

As a human being, can't Buhari lose or misplace something, necessitating an affidavit?

Is the minor discrepancy in the use of just a letter in spelling one's name significant enough to invalid his certificate, especially when there's no other Mohammed dragging the said certificate with him?

It is in the light of all these that I urge us to take a closer look at the judgment before jumping into stereotyped emotional conclusions.

ELFON spokesperson further stated that "likes are treated by likes" according to the motto of homeopathy. If the plaintiff didn't first mobilize a flood of Senior Advocates, the respondent wouldn't have followed suit, for actions and reactions are mainly equal and opposite.

You will  agree with me that the plaintiff also made a deluge of allegations against the declaration of the president. It's only normal and proper for the president to prepare enough to avert any unforeseen judicial upset.

The very fact in issue is that the judgment of the presidential election petition tribunal didn't in any way banish secondary school certificate with the affidavit as being brandished on the internet by propaganda merchants.

Lending his voice, the National Chairman of ELFON; Hon. Godstime Chukwubuikem Samuel told newsmen that ignorant individuals are deliberately misinterpreting and misrepresenting the judgment to suit their interest.

Unfortunately, most commentators have not taken a closer look at this classic of a judgment from high ranking members of the presidential election petition tribunal.

See the judgment below and relate it to their claim:

"If the 2nd respondent (Buhari) has not presented his secondary school certificate to the Army during his commission, where did the Army get its academic qualification quoted in form 199 by the Army? 

There is no doubt that the 2nd respondent is not only qualified but also eminently to contest for the said office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria".

The above is an unambiguous answer to the claim of the President that having lost his secondary school certificate in a war or one of his military adventures, that a copy of same should be in the custody of the Army.

In response to this, the Army didn't deny that the president submitted his certificate to the institution but that it was not found in her custody (a case of loss or misplacement of the said certificate).

It was this claim by the Army that necessitated the swearing to an oath(affidavit) by the president, averring that he had his certificate and submitted same to Army, a lawful action that every sane person would have taken.

Hon. Irouno also asked if and when affidavit stopped being a legal instrument for validation of missing items in Nigeria or is it because Buhari is involved... in what way did the above judgment banish secondary school certificate in place of affidavit?

Please, Atiku supporters should stop deceiving the gullible masses with the wrong interpretation of a very clear judgment, ELFON spokesperson concluded.