Sambo to INEC: My certificates consumed by fire

…electoral commissioners redeployed ahead polls

By Ahmed Abubakar

with agency report

Ahead of the 2015 general elections, Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has told the Independent National Electoral Commission that his Bachelors and Masters Degrees certificates in Architecture from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, have been consumed by fire.

Sambo, who is the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the declaration in the documents he filed with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and displayed on the Commission’s office in Abuja, although the details of the fire that consumed the certificates were not given.

Sambo’s papers were received and stamped in INEC headquarters between December 10 and 18, 2014.

Meanwhile, INEC yesterday released the names of the presidential candidates and their running mates who will contest the 2015 elections.

Although there are 26 registered political parties in Nigeria, only 11 have submitted names of candidates to run for the presidency.

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), submitted the names of President Goodluck Jonathan and his vice, Namadi Sambo, while the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), submitted the names of Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osinbajo as presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Of all the 11 candidates, only President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) were candidates in the last election in 2011.

In a related development, INEC yesterday announced the redeployment of all its Residents Electoral Commissioners (RECs) across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

INEC, according to its daily in-house news letter, “Daily Bulletin”, said news on the redeployments was contained in a letter signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu.

The scribe directed that all handing and taking over formalities be concluded by December 31.