The Chicago State University (CSU) has said it does not have the certificate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the 2023 general elections.
The university’s registrar, Caleb Westberg, made this disclosure in an oral deposition on the release of Tinubu’s academic records to his political opponent, Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 election, had requested the documents to back his allegation of forgery of the CSU certificate against Tinubu.
However, Westberg said that the university does not typically keep diplomas and that the diploma that Tinubu submitted to INEC was not in its possession. He said the university only has diplomas that students did not pick up.
“The university only has diplomas that students didn’t pick up in its possession. The university does not typically keep diplomas. I do not have the diploma that was submitted to INEC in our possession,” he said.
On why Tinubu did not pick up his replacement diploma from the school, the witness said, “The university does not typically keep Diplomas. I have the Diploma that was made available to Mr Enahoro-Ebah in our possession because Mr Tinubu did not pick it up.
“I do not have the Diploma that was submitted to INEC in our possession because he had picked it up.”
He also said that the university could confirm that the Bola Tinubu who graduated from the school is the same Bola Tinubu who is president.
He said, “We believe they are one and the same.”
The presidency has however dismissed claims that the certificate President Tinubu presented to INEC for the 2023 elections was forged. President Tinubu’s media aide, Temitope Ajayi, argued that CSU affirmed under oath that Tinubu attended and graduated from the institution and that the school does not handle replacements for lost certificates.
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