CSU certificate: Tinubu needs to tell us his own version of the story

As the battle for legitimacy, derivable from the 2023 presidential election, rages between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his closest challengers (Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) respectively, I have been observing, keenly, and biding my time, to, not reach any hasty conclusion, that I would have to, regrettably, retract shortly afterward.

My approach made more sense, especially, the moment Alhaji Atiku, approached a US court, seeking the release of academic records of the then-candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the current president, and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, by the Chicago State University (CSU) where the latter (claimed to have) graduated from. Atiku seeks to get the presidential election petition court to upturn Tinubu’s electoral victory.

Much controversy had been generated, over the authenticity, or otherwise, of the president’s claim of being an alumnus of the CSU. The controversy was kick-started by late legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), some 24 years ago, at the dawn of the current democratic dispensation, in 1999. Chief Gani had challenged the genuineness of Tinubu’s claim of having graduated from the “University of Chicago”. But one of his political foot soldiers at the time, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, claimed responsibility for the “error”, saying he filled the form on his (Tinubu’s) behalf. He (according to him) mistakenly filled in, “the University of Chicago” (UC), instead of “the Chicago State University” (CSU).

Later, other issues like the primary, and the secondary schools he claims to have attended, came under serious interrogation, alongside his real identity. Some people allege that he used to be Amanda Sangolere, from Iragbiji in the present-day Osun State, as opposed to the current, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (from Lagos State), that he currently answers – an identity he allegedly stole. There was also an allegation of him being involved in drug trafficking in the US, which led to him forfeiting about $460,000, out of the money in the bank accounts bearing his name, in 1993.

These are some of the controversies that have refused to be settled, by a plethora of court cases, since then. The controversies continue to resurrect, every election season, or any time the name, “Bola Tinubu” is mentioned in the course of a national political discourse.

Meanwhile, he was a Governor in Lagos State, for eight solid years, from 1999 to 2007, despite all these. Among all his contemporaries (1999 set of Governors in Nigeria), he is the most (if not the only one) active, and most relevant in the politics of Nigeria, at the moment. Nothing significant was said again about him and his records, from the time when he left office, until 2011 or thereabout when he was under prosecution by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) for allegedly operating a foreign bank account(s). Ever since he left office as a two-term Governor of Lagos State, he’d never run for any elective office, until this year, when he contested for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the platform of APC, and was subsequently declared winner. But, before then, he was honoured with an unofficial title of “APC National Leader”, something that means the same thing as his traditional chieftaincy title – Asiwaju (of Lagos).

So, coming to the 2023 presidential election in which he ran, of course, as it is customary of the Nigerian political class, every election’s result must be challenged in the law court (tribunal), even if it is glaring that the other party won, fair and square. So, about three, out of the eighteen other presidential candidates, who participated in the election approached the 2023 Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC). The candidates of the PDP, and the LP who came second and third respectively, each prayed to be declared winner, instead of Tinubu, because of these never-dying allegations, in addition to allegations of electoral irregularities that they claimed rigged the process in his favour. Tinubu’s victory was, however, affirmed, against the petitions by Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and Atiku of the PDP. One other less popular political party (APM I think) also had their petition against Tinubu’s victory quashed.

Tinubu, no doubt, is one of the most clever Nigerian politicians alive, but these controversies surrounding his early life identity and his academic records, especially, from primary to post-primary schools, as stated earlier remain a reoccurring decimal, at every juncture of his career progression as a politician. Lately, a new handle of allegations has been added to the existing ones. Upon the receipt of the President’s academic record from the CSU, following a US court order, Atiku’s legal team claims to have spotted a dissimilarity between the signature on the certificate released by the institution, and the one he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which suggests forgery. Forgery is an offence under the law (both the penal and the criminal codes), which punishment includes disqualification from the race and imprisonment. They (Atiku’s legal team) also claimed that the school’s registrar, Mr. Caleb Westberg, testifying under oath, dissociated himself, and the school, from the one Tinubu presented to the INEC.

Meanwhile, Atiku’s legal team, as well as supporters on social media, have their different interpretations of the responses given by the registrar, especially when he said, he did not see the one that was presented to INEC and could, therefore, not comment on it. They took it to mean that he had dissociated himself, and the school, from the one Tinubu submitted to INEC. If that is true, then, there is no other interpretation for what happened. It is a pure case of forgery. Period. But, Tinubu’s camp holds contrary opinions. And since everything would still be subjected to legal interpretations at the level of the Supreme Court at the end of the day. Law, especially Jurisprudence, is not one of my areas of competencies, so I leave that to the lawyers who would have their respective dates at the Supreme Court, where the judges will be the final arbiters, to argue it out. Tinubu’s camp, on the other hand, interpreted Westberg’s response thus; “the replacement certificate” which Tinubu, perhaps, submitted to the INEC, was not issued by the institution, as they (CSU) do not issue a replacement certificate. That, according to him, a replacement certificate is issued, not by the institution, but by a third-party vendor, which could be a plausible explanation for the disparity in the signatures of the certificate released by the University, and the one Tinubu sourced (from a third-party vendor) and submitted to the INEC. But I shall come back to that, shortly.

As things stand right now, everybody chooses what to believe, our standard definition of the truth in Nigeria. Therefore, whichever version of the interpretations you choose to believe, represents the truth.

Whatever the Supreme Court verdict on the matter turns out to be, the truth is that Nigeria and her government have once again been displayed on the global theatre of mockery, and ridicule. This is because, the integrity of “the face of the nation” – the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is being ridiculously questioned before a global audience. And it will take much more than the exchange of diatribes between the different political apparatchiks, on national televisions, social media, and on pages of national dailies, to undo what that “show of shame” had done to us as a people, and as a nation.

The only saving grace, however, lies in how Tinubu responds to this latest political uppercut, delivered with judicial gloves. When I say respond, I mean he, coming out himself, to address those issues, rather than delegating the responsibility to a Public Relations expert. The whole world, especially, Nigerians need to hear from the horse’s mouth. His deafening silence would help, neither the images of his administration and that of the nation, nor satisfy the curiosity of the whole world to know his side of the whole saga. Let us hear from him so that we can sieve the truth from his submissions and what Atiku’s legal voyage to the US purportedly unearthed about his academic records.

In the “court of public opinion”, Asiwaju must avail the “judges”, of his version of the stories being told about his person by his political adversaries, for the sake of posterity. There is this saying among my (the Yoruba-speaking) people (of Kogi State) that, when you stay too long in the restroom, all manners of flies will come, to pay you obeisance. These allegations of forgery, identity theft, deliberate inaccuracies of records, and a case of him having graduated from a school before it was established, have lingered, for far too long. Tinubu therefore needs to help us put the matter to rest, by coming out, to tell us his version of his life history, from infancy to the best of his memory. This would help clear the doubts of those of us who are political neutrals, who have no possible political loss or gain from his rise, or fall. It is no longer a matter to be left as a plaything for politicians, or image launderers “wannabes”. It is beginning to tell on the nation’s image, in the eyes of the global community. I learnt, Atiku too has had to explain, how the name – Sidiq Abubakar, on his O’level result, became Atiku Abubakar. That does not foreclose the need for us to, once and for all, unpack the mystery punctuating Tinubu’s biography.

Since Atiku headed for the US court, searching for “the truth”, about his (Tinubu’s) academic records, I have been watching, with keen interest, what could be the outcome. I had hoped, it would spell the end of the 25-year-long soap opera about the “mysteries” surrounding the person of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But, contrary to my expectation, those mysteries would just, not vanish any time soon. Atiku Abubakar had approached the US court, seeking the release of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s academic records by the Chicago State University. The prayer was granted by the court, after so much legal conundrum. And rather than solving the puzzles, it has thrown up more, than we had before the Atiku’s legal voyage to the States.

As things stand now that the court has granted Atiku’s prayer, even some lawyers (in Nigeria) are confused, over what the outcome of the CSU’s release of the result is, for either of the parties. To those (Tinubu’s supporters) who style themselves “the Batified”, it was a vindication of their man that he did graduate from the school, which to them, is victory. But to those (supporters of Atiku) who style themselves as “the Atikulated”, it was also a victory, as they claim to have established a case of forgery against the other party. “Confusion jam confusion”, as we say in our local parlance.

Atiku, it has been gathered, would seek to file his American discoveries, as fresh evidence at the apex court. But it remains to be seen, whether the Supreme Court would at this stage of the appeal, accept fresh evidence. We shall find that out, in the coming days.

As per the significance of what the parties took away from the US court order of release, I think where the real issue lies is, the difference in the degree of importance attached to an academic certificate (called a Diploma over there) in the United States of America, and Nigeria. While it is a mere ceremonial document, that is no more than an artifact, in the former, it is the real deal in the latter.

However, whether, in the eyes of the (Nigerian) law, Tinubu had committed forgery or not, is something I (we) will have to leave for the court of competent jurisdiction to decide. A verdict by the court of public opinion will be of no effect, as far as the goals and objectives of the two parties are concerned.

One thing is, very key to determining what the verdict from the two courts (of law, and public opinion), though, and that is, to hear from the horse’s mouth. Tinubu need to save our national time, pride, and emotions, by telling his story to the whole world, once and for all, so that Atiku and others who are interested in the case, in one way or the other, could go and rest.

I have never been to the Aso  Presidential Villa in my life, so I may have little or no idea, exactly, how busy the President would be. But I do understand that, they do traffic through volumes of files and documents that require serious eyeballing before they are approved, or signed. But I also do understand that, there should be a kind of “work-life balance”, that sees them have a few moments off work, to unwind, attend to private issues, and recharge for the next day’s work. Tinubu could choose this time (if it does exist like think) to address these issues, surrounding his person – early life history; parental background – is it Iragbiji or Lagos Island? Which primary, and secondary school did he attend? Remember he does not necessarily have to go to a primary, or a secondary school, or even both, to be qualified for admission into any tertiary institution. He could have written a GCE O’Level, as a private candidate. So, issues like school, and classmates might not be parts of his biography if I may advise.

How could one of a person’s credentials indicate gender as “F”, purporting that he is female, rather than “M” – a male that he is? Or, how could someone have graduated from a school, four years, before it was established – claiming to have graduated in 1970, from a school that was reportedly established in 1974; how come? It doesn’t add up. The chronological disorder needs to be expatriated on. These third-party addresses we’ve been getting are, daily, casting doubt over his presumed innocence. It will never cut it, especially, for those of us who are politically neutral.

Then his NYSC discharge certificate reportedly contains a name, Adekunle, which is not so, with the rest of his credentials that are in the public domain – that also needs some explaining. I don’t think the explanations to clear these should take up to 10 minutes unless what his opponents are insinuating is true.

So please, President Tinubu, needs to, kindly, free us from this suspense-filled movie, and put an end to it. The seasoned film is becoming too boring. We need a conclusive (definitive) end to it, and that can only be brought about by a response from him, as the subject of the speculations, and not from his lawyers, or any other designated spokesperson.

He needs to pity his opponents and bring the decades-long suspense-filled drama to an end, by telling us exactly what happened. Were those things clerical errors, or have they (his political opponents) contacted the wrong institutions or individuals for verification all these while? Or is it that, their insinuations are true? Please, President Bola Tinubu, your opponents, supporters, Nigerians, as well as keen observers of Nigerian politics across the world, need to hear from you.

I appreciate the fact that you’re in a hurry to fix, and move Nigeria forward, and therefore, wouldn’t want to brook any form of distraction, but nothing would distract, or slow you down, more than these puzzles riddling your academic records, nay your entire biography.

I, therefore, expect to see you soon, on national television, address these issues, so that, Atiku Abubakar can go and rest, while your supporters continue to savour the sweetness of your victory at the poll, in the just-concluded presidential election. This is because, right now, you’re not allowing them to “Buga” (Apologies to Kizz Daniel).

But your continued failure to respond (in person), points only in one direction – that you’re guilty of all the allegations. And should that be the case, a dignifying exit, as in the case of Ms Kemi Adeosun, is an honourable option for your workaholic self who is passionate about turning around, the fortunes of this great nation of ours, for the better.

Abubakar writes from Ilorin, Kwara state. He can be reached via 08051388285 or [email protected]