Certificate saga: Why Tinubu won’t personally respond to Atiku, Obi

The Coalition of Civil Society Organisation and Political Parties for Good Governance has explained why President Bola Tinubu may not personally engage the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his counterpart in Labour Party, Peter Obi over the controversy that trailed his Chicago State University academic credentials.

The allegation of certificate forgery levelled against Tinubu has continued to generate debate in the country with Atiku and Obi calling on the president to own up to his true identity.

The PUNCH also reported that Atiku and Obi had filed 86 grounds of appeal at the Supreme Court to nullify the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal’s judgment that affirmed Tinubu’s victory.

While the former vice president had accused Tinubu of falsifying his CSU diploma of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration awarded in 1979, Obi demanded the former Lagos governor reveal his true identity to Nigerians.

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But convener of the coalition, Dr Ene Ogbole told our correspondent in an interview that those closer to the president like them understand why he won’t honour the jejune sentiments of both politicians with a personal response.

The former coordinator of the dissolved Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council also applauded the president for showing some level of maturity, decorum and sportsmanship he has exhibited so far.

“The desperate manner Atiku and Obi are going about the president’s Chicago State University certificate is enough to traumatize anyone. It is enough to throw people off balance. It is just like when there was a lot of clamour for him to appear for media chat and he was holding back. The day he came out, what happened? Nigerians were amazed. People were wondering why they were hiding him from us. He is a man of decorum and high intelligence. He is an experienced man who has seen it all. He knows when to say something and when not to say anything.

“The world is at peace with what they found out. When these opponents begin to display maturity in the way they talk, he will come out and answer them. At least, it is still within his fundamental rights to answer questions when he wants to answer them, particularly when those questions are thrown at him. There would be a time he would do that.

“At any rate, what else do you want to hear when the institution involved has come out to say this man came to our school and even made their phone lines available for everyone in the world to make enquiry? The school itself swore and said this man came to our school and obtained the certificate.

“When the BBC, one of the global prime media stations also made enquiry and has certified him free and clear. And these things have been internationally buried. Whatever they are saying now is just noise. We are convinced beyond every reasonable doubt that His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, submitted authentic academic certificates and valid information to the Independent National Electoral Commission and if anyone has doubts over his submissions, the responsible thing to do is to come forth with evidence to the contrary.

“It is, therefore, irresponsible and asinine for anybody to doubt the validity of Mr President’s submissions to the electoral commission based on unfounded speculations like Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi have done.”