The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buahri, Abba Kyari, told the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that the presidential candidate of the
The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buahri, Abba Kyari, told the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar in the Feb. 23 general election was a Cameroonian “flesh and blood’’.
Abba Kyari, who was led through his deposition by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Counsel for the president, insisted that Jada, the hometown of the former vice president was in Adamawa Province, an enclave that belonged to Northern Cameroon in 1946 when he (Atiku) was born. He explained that Atiku was already born in 1946 before the plebiscite was conducted in 1961 to balkernize Nigeria and Cameroon where Jada which was part of Northern Cameroon voted to become Nigerian territory.
Abba Kyari further said that the plebiscite also resulted in the Southern part of Cameroon officially aligning to becoming Cameroonian territory. The witness therefore, said the French system of assimilation had compelled people of Jada, including Abubakar’s father and grandfather to be full Cameroonians in “flesh and blood’’.
On the status of Buhari Certificate, Kyari said he had personally gone to collect the Cambridge University West Africa Examination Certificate of the president on July 18 for further proof.
“I can confirm that I was the one that collected and signed the Cambridge University West Africa Examination Certificate on behalf of the president on July 18, 2019,’’ he said.
Buhari and his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) had urged the tribunal to dismiss PDP’s petition for fielding a non-Nigerian to contest the presidential election. They submitted that the Constitution had foreclosed the participation of non-Nigerians in the County’s election. They further argued that it did not matter if the provision was not tested when Atiku was selected to be the country’s vice president.
The president and APC had therefore invited the tribunal to do the needful by dismissing all the allegations made by the petitioners against Buhari’s victory. The respondents further submitted that it was inappropriate for a non-Nigerian to contest or challenge outcome of the Feb.23 presidential election.
Also testifying was Retired Gen. Paul Tarfa, who said he enlisted with Buhari into the Officer Cadre of the Nigerian Army on April 16, 1962. Tarfa explained that English Language was the medium of instruction, adding that Buhari had achieved an enviable record during the military training. He listed some of their colleagues to include Brigadier Ola Oni, Maj Gen. Durojaye, Col. J.C Ojukwu, Late Brigadier Shelleng as well as Late Maj:-Gen Musa Yar-Adua. He said the conduct of the promotional examination in the military was always done in the merit, adding that Buhari had always come out in flying colour.
On his part, Malam Suleman Mai-adua, Buhari’s classmate in Katsina Provincial Secondary School in his evidence in chief, said, they graduated from the school with Cambridge University West African Examination Certificate in 1961. The witness, who came to court with a group photograph of the class six of 1961 set and their principal, was able to spot himself and Buhari in the picture.
