Buhari result is a fraud — PDP

The PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation has expressed doubt over the recently released Secondary School Certificate Result of Gen. Mohammad Buhari, the APC Presidential Candidate.

The party described it as a super imposition of documents.

Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Director of the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the organsation, expressed the doubt at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday.

He said the result, released on Jan. 21, after controversies surrounding Buhari`s academic qualifications and his eligibility to contest the presidency in Feb. 14, was a fraud.

It will be recalled that hours after Buhari’s press conference in Kaduna, some documents appeared on various media platforms said to be the result released by his old school.

Fani-Kayode said that rather than providing a conclusive proof that Buhari possessed the minimum qualification to contest the presidency, he went into a session of ‘blame game.’

Buhari

According to him, Buhari is shifting what ordinarily ought to be his personal responsibility to his alleged old school: the Provisional Secondary School Katsina, now Government College, Katsina.

``It is unfortunate that the more Gen. Buhari tries to extricate himself from the crisis, the more he stumbles into a new phase in the unfolding narrative of his obvious complicity’’, he said.

Fani-Kayode said the development bordered on perjury, adding that it had again called Buhari`s avowed integrity to question.

He added that the directorate had carefully studied the purported statement of result, signed by the school’s principal and an examination officer and observed that it was a clear super imposition.

``The result sheet which was attributed to the Cambridge examination body, is clearly a super imposition of one document on another’’, he said.

He explained that the column which lined on the part where names were printed did not align with the blank columns adding that there was an introduction of extraneous lines on some other columns.

He added that the documents contained an obvious alteration on the Mathematics column of the candidate, Mohamed Buhari, who was assumed to have scored an ``F” in the subject.

This, he said, raised a fundamental issue of validity in view of the fact that the accompanying result sheet stated that any alteration or erasure rendered the statement of result invalid.

``Our conclusion from all these is that the documents purportedly released by Government College, Katsina, are forged’’, he said.

He said that Buhari could not use the result ``to bury the doubt about his eligibility for next month’s election as APC Presidential candidate.’’

Buhari pledges to restructure Army, Police, if elected

Meanwhile, the Presidential flag-bearer of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has promised to restructure the Nigeria Army and Police, if elected.

Buhari made the promise on Thursday in Gusau at the inauguration of his campaign.

He said that his plan, if materialised, would boost the efforts of the two security institutions to battle insurgency with renewed vigour.

Buhari said that the need to restructure the army and police became necessary because the enemies had become more and highly sophisticated in the use of weapons.

"Our Army and Police will be highly equipped with all the required weapons, educated and uneducated youths will be employed through different programmes that will be created by our administration.

"We will rebuild our educational system and employ youths not on sentiment and god-fatherism.

‘We will as well find ways of restrengthening the country's economy."

He called on the youth to remain vigilant but maintain peace during and after the elections so as to ensure free, fair and credible elections in the country.

The chieftains of the party, including its National Chairman, Mr John Oyegun, and Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, Buhari’s running mate, attended the occasion.

Others were Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Zamfara Governor, Alhaji Abdul'aziz Yar,i and Senator representing Zamfara-West, Alhaji Ahmad Yarima, among others.

Adadama/Amagu war:Another bloodbath looms

By Ishola Balogun

A full scale war is brewing between the people of Adadama Community in Abi Local government area of Cross River State and Ndiagu Amagu Community in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State over land disputes. Before now, about 35 people have been killed, including a Ph.D student and a Youth Corps member beheaded recently by militants who invaded the community.

As at press time, there were reports that the Amagus were allegedly planning another attack on the Adadama community, causing mass exodus from the community. The Amagu and Adadama communities have been embroiled in a land dispute for more than 50 years. Since the recent hostilities in the area broke out, hundreds of lives have been lost while properties worth billions of Naira have been lost.

The Secretary of the Traditional Rulers’ council of Adadama, Chief James Ekoro Edu who spoke with Saturday Vanguard said the community had petitioned the Presidency, urging President Jonathan including security agencies to come to their aid to avert another looming bloodshed.

We got to know of their plans and we have written a letter to President Jonathan and of course, we want the whole world to know what is going on,” he stated.

Speaking to Saturday Vanguard, Chief Ekoro said; “they have chased us out of our farmland, they have overpowered us with their numerical strength and wealth. But we will not succumb to this gross injustice”

According to him, “The security men including soldiers mounted in the Buka zone have been withdrawn exposing us to our enemies.”

In a letter to President Jonathan signed by His Royal Highness, Eval Fidelis Ikor Addu, Chief James Ekoro Edu and other chiefs in the community, it reads:

“On behalf of the traditional rulers’ council of Adadama, we write to draw your attention Your Excellency to the killing of innocent, harmless and voiceless men, women and children by trigger-hungry hired mercenaries from Ikwo Local Government Area (LGA) of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, which started Monday, January 14 – 15, and on Saturday, January 19, 2013 respectively. There was a repeat of the ugly incident in February 14th, March 16thand March 18th, when Chief Edu Nteh’s wife, late Mrs. Catherine Edu Nteh was whisked from her farmland, and again on the 2nd of September, 2013. A total of 16 dead bodies were recovered and five women kidnapped till date.”

“In fact, the September killing actually compelled His Excellency, the Governor of Cross River State, Sen. (Dr.) Liyel Imoke CON to visit Adadama Community, September 18th, 2013. Perhaps, touched by what he saw and heard on his visit to Adadama Community, Governor Imoke promised our people a peaceful and lasting solution to the crisis. Unfortunately, this is exactly 14 months after his visit and nothing has happened up till this very moment. What we hear rather is that the Federal Government is bringing a Police Academy to be sited at the disputed area.

“Interestingly, the Amagus’ of Ikwo Local Government Area in Ebonyi State again beheaded in cold blood the only daughter of our traditional ruler and a serving Youth Corps member, Princess Emame Fidelis I. Addu on May 1st this year. The killing of the Corps member (Princess) led to the withdrawal of all serving Youth Corps members from Adadama community. And not only that, the Amagus’ and their mercenaries are now using Guerrilla tactics to kill innocent and harmless Adadama women as they go to harvest cassava and other crops in their farms. Your Excellency, between May and October, 2014; three women have been beheaded; the last two being Mrs Bassey Ajayi Edu and Mrs Grace Emmanuel Lebo on the 10th of October.

Apart from the alleged orchestrated attack, Chief Ekoro also stated that there were lingering claims that some powerful individuals in Ebonyi have vowed to either annex Adadama Community land or use all resources at their disposal to exterminate the people of Adadama Community.

He said: “The threat seems to be working for them going by what their people are doing. The fact that the Amagus went and cultivated crops in the portion of land that government marked as a ‘No Go Area’ with a standing order that nobody should do anything on it is a pointer to the fact that some powerful individuals are behind this invasion,” he said.

“We are a peace loving people and we have cohabited with the Okpitomos of Ikwo for over 2000 years without a glitch, until the Amagus came from nowhere to reside where they are today. Interestingly, they attempted their mischief in 2001 by exhuming the beacon stone laid by G. G. Shute along the old South Eastern region in 1920 on the flank they are living today”.

On what the Governor Liyel Imoke is doing about the issue, Ekoro said the government seems lame and inactive because of her peaceful and gentle approach to issues.

He stated that the story of the oil rich Bakassi peninsular might repeat itself, if something was not done to bring peace and normalcy to the area.

“We crave your special indulgence to intervene expeditiously because innocent people are often the victims. We hope that the sonorous cries of our people who with Dane guns and cutlasses have to confront hired mercenaries from Ikwo in Ebonyi State armed with sophisticated weapons will prompt you into quick action. We need to also bring to your notice that the several hundreds of innocent women, children are displaced, currently facing the challenge of food and materials,” Chief Ekoro cried.