[Published: Thursday January 22 2015]
Nigeria's presidential candidate defends school record
Abuja, 22 Jan - (ANA) - Nigeria's main opposition presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, has rejected claims that he did not obtain his school-leaving certificate.
Candidates must have it as a minimum requirement to run for office. Mr Buhari said the governing party was trying to divert attention away from campaign issues such as unemployment, insecurity and corruption. One paper has obtained a copy of his results from his former school showing he graduated in 1961 but failed maths. Nigeria's Premium Times has uploaded a statement from the education ministry in his home state of Katsina and the 1961 University of Cambridge West African School Certificate result sheet for the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina. It shows he passed English language and literature, Hausa language, history, geography and health science, but failed maths and woodwork. Mr Buhari, who is standing for the All Progressives Congress (APC) party in the 14 February election, told journalists that he had asked his old school to make available a copy of the certificate showing that he had "passed the examination in the second division". Mr Buhari ruled Nigeria from January 1984 until August 1985, taking charge after a coup - and campaigned against corruption whilst in office. However, his attempts to re-balance public finances by curbing imports led to many job losses and the closure of businesses. He will be facing Pesident Goodluck Jonathan of the governing People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the elections, which look to be the closest fought since the end of military rule in 1999. (ANA)
FA/ANA/22 January 2015----------
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