By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Former Vice President of Nigeria and the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 2023 election has said the journey to establish the authenticity of certificates submitted by President Bola Tinubu prior to the election came at a “great cost”.
According to Atiku Abubakar, relevant agencies of government must conduct due diligence on academic records submitted by political office seekers as a way of protecting the country’s reputation which he said is at stake.
“It should not take months or, indeed, decades, for the institutions concerned to be able to do their work in establishing the credibility of any certificates presented by candidates for public office”, Atiku said at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
He added, “We undertook this journey at great cost and for important reasons. The ground rules for legitimate governance in our country need to be upheld, and the reputation of our country is at stake. That affects everyone, Nigerians everywhere.”
The academic records of President Tinubu has been a subject of public debate in recent times, even as the former Vice President has repeatedly accused Tinubu of forging his academic record, including a diploma he allegedly obtained from Chicago State University (CSU).
Atiku had urged the university to release Tinubu’s academic record for proper verification with the one submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Tinubu.
CSU Registrar, Carl Westberg carried out a deposition of Tinubu’s academic record on Tuesday, in compliance with the ruling of Magistrate Jeffrey Gilbert.
Gilbert had on September 19 granted Atiku’s request for the release of Tinubu’s academic records but the President filed a review of the order.
Tinubu’s lawyers insisted that the documents would not be relevant in Atiku’s appeal against Tinubu at the Supreme Court and asked for a review of the ruling.
“Political leadership and active citizenship matter because they are ways through which we all work together to build a country that works for all who live in it. Our country is bigger than any of us, and its standing in the world affects the fate of all who come from or live in it. As leaders, it is our duty to advance the well-being of all our people and of the country.
“For this purpose, my generation worked hard to return the soldiers to the barracks and to defend the right of the people to elect and establish for ourselves a legitimate government. Our elections are established and governed by law and founded on the constitution from which leadership and government in Nigeria alone derive their legitimacy.
“The people look up to us as leaders to respect these rules and, where necessary, to defend them. This is what brings us here”, he stated.
“Now, we entrust these facts to us all as citizens and as leaders of the institutions charged with interpreting our constitution. I should thank the lawyers both in Nigeria and in the United States, who have assisted us in bringing clarity and definitive answers to these issues that appear to have defied our institutions for nearly a quarter of a century.
“I also want to extend my gratitude to Nigerian citizens and friends of Nigeria both within and beyond the shores of our country for their patience as we have sought to find the facts and establish the truth”, Atiku said.
He expressed gratitude to journalists for the role they play in exposing evil in the society.
“From exposing the Watergate scandal and unravelling the dubious certificates of politicians, journalists have maintained eternal vigilance by bridging the gap and stepping in when other arms of government failed.
“It is for these reasons that commendation must be given to David Hundeyin, an independent journalist whose extraordinary work and those of many more young people like him has become a source of inspiration. Special thanks must be given to the millions of Nigerian youths and citizen journalists too who continue to put out the truth online even when no one is listening. Indeed, the price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance.”
Having obtained Tinubu’s academic records on the order of an Illinois, Chicago court, Atiku on Thursday filed his application at the Supreme Court which borders on forgery against Tinubu.
He had asked the court to set aside the victory of Tinubu and declare him the winner of the election.
