Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has finally challenged Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop making an issue out of his school certificate, but to rather campaign on issues of unemployment, insecurity and corruption bedevilling the country.

Buhari, in a briefing on Wednesday, said he would have dismissed the certificates issue as sheer mischief but for the concern expressed by many of his supporters and other well-meaning Nigerians.

He said: “Although the ruling party may want to wish this away, the issue in this campaign cannot be my certificate, which I obtained 53 years ago.

“The issues are the scandalous level of unemployment of millions of our young people, the state of insecurity, the pervasive official corruption which has impoverished our people and the lack of concern of the government for anything other than the retention of power at all costs.”

According to the former Head of State, he sat for the University of Cambridge/WASC Examination in 1961, with examination number 8280002, and passed in the Second Division.

Buhari said: “I had assumed all along that all my records were in the custody of the Military Secretary of the Nigerian Army. Much to my surprise, we are now told that although a record of the result is available, there are no copies of the certificates in my personal file.

“This is why I formally requested my old school, the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina, (now Government College, Katsina) to make available the school’s copy of the result of the Cambridge/West African School Certificate. This will be made available to the press the moment it is available.

“However, before we obtain that, let me say for the record that I attended Provincial Secondary School, Katsina. I graduated in 1961 with many prominent Nigerians, including General Shehu Yar’Adua, former Chief of Staff at the Supreme Headquarters, and Justice Umaru Abdullahi, a former President of the Court of Appeal.

“We sat for the University of Cambridge/WASC Examination together in 1961, the year we graduated. My examination number was 8280002, and I passed the examination in the Second Division.

“And although the ruling party may want to wish this away, the issue in this campaign cannot be my certificate, which I obtained 53 years ago. The issues are the scandalous level of unemployment of millions of our young people, the state of insecurity, the pervasive official corruption, which has impoverished our people and the lack of concern of the government for anything other than the retention of power at all costs.”