Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
The presidency late last night described the threat by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to drag President Muhammadu Buhari to court over his missing academic certificates as disgusting and shameful.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement, said the move would amount to an exercise in futility because Buhari had records of higher certificates than the one under contention.
The statement, which added that issues bordering on the school certificate of the president were a settled matter, said going to court over a settled matter would only amount to abuse of court process.
According to Shehu, PDP is employing different diversionary tactics because it is aware of its imminent failure.
He also accused the opposition party of sowing seeds of division and attacking national institutions thinking that it would atone for years of its alleged misrule.
The statement read, “We have read that the failed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is going to court to challenge the president’s West African School Certificate (WASC).
“This is a waste of time because we have the record of this and of higher qualifications obtained by hard work and truly merited by Mr President.
“This certificate story is an old one. As Femi Adesina stated clearly, it is a settled issue in the courts. To approach the court to pursue a matter long settled by the temple of justice is an abuse of the judicial system. It is shameful, disgusting and disgraceful.
“It is clear to all at this time that the PDP, facing an imminent humiliating defeat wants to sow division and chaos by seeking the destruction of the institutional structures that support our young democracy.
“They are attacking the courts and the police, they are molesting INEC commissioners.
They are theatrical in spreading falsehoods against persons including the president.
“By doing these, they assume that they can take away attention from the discussions on issues gaining momentum in the cou‘‘ntry; the issue of internal security which has been jeopardised by years of near-zero investment under 16 years of the PDP; the provision of long-delayed infrastructure which the President is pioneering; corruption to which the PDP is incurably tied and the sustenance of the prevailing good days in the economy, a business-friendly government working day and night, creating more jobs and affordable life for the poor.
“This election isn’t about the settled issues of certification. No matter how honeyed their sweet words, don’t believe them.
“Their evil record can never be washed away. The PDP set a record of murdering opponents of government and corruption on a scale never seen anywhere before.
“They put the national security at stake by diverting huge budgetary allocations to service their greed. Don’t believe their honeyed promises.”
