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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 election, Peter Obi, has said the questions on the identity of President Bola Tinubu have further worsened Nigeria’s battered reputation in the international community.
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar,had subpoenaed Chicago State University (CSU) to release Tinubu’s academic records for use at the Supreme Court.
Abubakar is challenging Tinubu’s victory and his affirmation by the presidential election petition tribunal as the winner of the poll.
He had argued that there were discrepancies in the certificate Tinubu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which should have rendered him ineligible to contest the election.
Abubakar addressed a press conference last week to say he would not stop asking questions about Tinubu’s academic records until the Supreme Court rules on the matter.
Addressing a press conference of his own on Wednesday, Obi, who came third in the presidential election and also challenging the outcome at the apex court, said the controversy over Tinubu’s academic records has made foreigners to start profiling Nigerians as “fraudsters, certificate forgers or identity thieves.”
According to Obi, Tinubu owes the nation the simple obligation of reintroducing himself to the world
“The entire Chicago University matter as well as Chief Bola Tinubu’s many other lingering identity question marks has further worsened Nigeria’s less-than-glorious image internationally
“Uninformed outsiders now see every Nigerian as a fraudster, certificate forger or identity thief. The controversy is unnecessary.
“The implicit global embarrassment could have been avoided. In my opinion, Bola Tinubu should have saved the nation and himself from this protracted embarrassment and undue anxiety.
“He should let the world know his name, his nationality, his place of birth, his parentage, the primary and secondary schools he attended with dates as well as the actual universities he attended and certificates obtained.
“He should indicate clearly where and when he did his national youth service. In addition, if at any time he had had a change of name, he should state so clearly. That in itself is no crime.
“It does not require an affidavit, prolonged court process, spokespersons, agents or surrogates. The task is only one which Bola Tinubu himself through a direct personal statement can perform.
“With his present capacity as a leader of a nation of over 200 million Nigerians, his true identity is a matter of grave national and international interest.
“The people deserve to know with certainty the true identity of their leader and this overrides whatever right he may have to personal privacy,” the Labour Party candidate said.