Cletus Idogo, Abuja.
Of the 79 candidates vying for the 2019 presidential election, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificates of ex-Governors Donald Duke of the Social Democratic Party and Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Zenith Labour Party were “missing” from their credentials submitted to INEC.
The candidates were silent on their participation in the NYSC scheme.
Duke, in his nomination form, admitted that he “attended the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained a law degree in 1982 and the Nigerian Law School and was called to the Bar in 1983.
“He attended the University of Pennsylvania in the United States from 1983 to 1984 where he obtained a Master of Laws (LLM).”
Like Duke, Mimiko was silent on his NYSC career and efforts to reach him via his mobile line on his nomination form were unsuccessful.
It was not immediately clear if the fault was from INEC or the candidates did not participate in the scheme.
Meanwhile a total of 79 candidates will be contesting the presidential election in 2019.
Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-World Bank Vice President, Oby Ezekwesili, Al-Mustapha, Duke, Mimiko, and two former Deputy Governors (DGs) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Obadiah Mailafia (African Democratic Congress) and Kingsley Moghalu (Young Progressive Party), are in the list of aspirants for the 2019 presidential election.
Also, there are four women seeking to be president in 2019 including Oby Ezekwesili; the others are Angela Johnson (Alliance for United Nigeria); Mercy Olufunmilayo Adesanya-Davies (Mass Action Joint Alliance); and Hajia Rabia Yasai Hassan Cengiz (NAC party).
Out of 89 political parties fielding candidates for 2019 general elections, 10 parties have opted out of the presidential contest.
The parties are APN, LPN, MDP, NGA, PDC, PDM, PPP, PRP, UPP and YP.
