By Opeyemi Adelakun
The Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has urged opposition presidential candidates to make President Bola Tinubu’s performance in office the central issue of the 2027 election campaign rather than his academic credentials.
Ndume said the renewed controversy surrounding the President’s educational records was distracting political parties from issues directly affecting Nigerians.
The All Progressives Congress lawmaker made the remarks in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, challenging opposition candidates to present concrete alternatives to the policies of the Tinubu administration.
“The narrative around his certificate is distracting. What opposition presidential candidates should be doing is to tell Nigerians what they have to offer. What are their alternative economic policies? What can they do better than President Tinubu?” Ndume said, according to Vanguard.
He urged opposition parties to scrutinise the administration’s economic policies and its handling of insecurity, arguing that Tinubu had been in office for more than three years and should be assessed based on his record.
“They should interrogate his economic policies and how his government has handled insecurity. The President has been in office for over three years now. So why should his certificates be the main talking point?” he asked.
Ndume’s comments came amid renewed scrutiny of Tinubu’s credentials, particularly following reports that the primary and secondary school sections of the EC9 form submitted by the President were left blank.
Tinubu listed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, which he stated he obtained in 1979, alongside copies of his degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate.
Defending the President’s eligibility, Ndume argued that Tinubu had met the minimum educational requirement for the presidency under the 1999 Constitution.
He cited Section 131(d), which provides that a presidential candidate must be educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.
Ndume argued that the provision does not expressly require a presidential candidate to possess a secondary school certificate where an equivalent or higher qualification has been established.
He also maintained that questions concerning Tinubu’s qualifications had previously been addressed by the courts following the 2023 presidential election.
The senator called on opposition parties to raise the quality of political debate as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
“As we move deeper into campaigns, the opposition should elevate the discourse beyond pettiness,” he said, quoting former United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
However, the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s credentials remains a major issue in opposition politics.
Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has instituted a legal action against Tinubu over an alleged forgery of his NYSC discharge certificate.
Atiku and the ADC, with the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission joined as defendants, are asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to determine whether Tinubu would be eligible to contest the 2027 presidential election if the allegations are established.
The plaintiffs are relying, among other provisions, on Section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution, which disqualifies a person from being elected president if the individual has presented a forged certificate to INEC.
In the affidavit filed in support of the suit, the plaintiffs questioned the name appearing on the NYSC certificate submitted to INEC, alleging that it bears the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle” rather than Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Atiku personally appeared at the court registry to depose to an affidavit in support of the case, maintaining that the suit concerns the constitutional requirements for occupying the office of president.
Meanwhile, Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has also insisted that candidates seeking the presidency in 2027 should be prepared to subject their credentials and records to public scrutiny.
Obi, speaking at a world press conference in Onitsha, Anambra State, said every presidential candidate must be ready to defend their credentials, past records and policy proposals.
“Every candidate must be willing to defend their credentials, defend their records, and subject their vision to open scrutiny,” he said.
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