Group Led By Professor Ben Nwabueze Seeks Minimum Of University Degree For Presidential Candidates

by Deji Abiodun & Agency Reporter

A group in Nigeria is seeking a review of the qualification of any Presidential candidate, as contained in the Electoral Act, requesting that it should be a minimum of first degree or its equivalent.

For the Major contenders of the 2015 general elections between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress, Goodluck Jonathan of PDP is the only PhD holder while Muhmmadu Buhari is said to have acquired WASC, a result which is still questioned.

The group, Project Nigeria movement, led by a legal luminary, Professor Ben Nwabueze, gave its position on Tuesday on the 2015 general elections and expectations after.

According to the group, it would be unfair for any Nigerian to be disenfranchised from the coming elections owing to possible hiccups from the card reader.

The group also faulted the current Electoral Act, saying that the minimum qualification one should have before vying for the office of the President of the country should be first degree or its equivalent.

Professor Nwabueze further recommended a consideration of a coalition government.

“We need to experiment on a coalition government, otherwise called unity government. Whereby whoever wins the Presidential election will constitute his government with members drawn from all the parties that contested the presidential election in a manner to be agreed under a formal accord.

“Without prejudice to the provisions of the constitution, an effective presidential leadership requires a president with a good and sound qualification in a particular good education up to a minimum level of a university first degree or its equivalent with the academic knowledge, intellectual insights and mental orientation, ideas and perceptions in parts.

“He should have an ability to combine ideas and power intellectualism and politics,” he said.

Professor Nwabueze said that the implementation of the decisions of the national conference should be something that anyone that eventually emerges the president after the election must implement.