Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has once again raised questions about the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s academic history.
Atiku, who is currently seeking intervention from a United States court to prompt Chicago State University to address the inconsistencies in the certificates issued to President Tinubu, expressed that without clarification, it becomes quite challenging, if not impossible, for the public to comprehend the educational journey of the former Lagos State Governor.
Through his verified Twitter handle @atiku on Sunday, Atiku stated, “I woke up this morning wondering how we got to this cul de sac. In 1999, @officialABAT (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) claimed he attended St John’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos, before proceeding to Children Home School in Ibadan.
According to him, his next steps in his educational journey were Government College Ibadan, Richard Daley College, and Chicago State University in the United States.
Interestingly, in 2023, Tinubu’s narrative has changed to solely attending Chicago State University.”
Atiku further expressed his bewilderment, “I am scratching my head. How is that possible? It seems to me that all well-meaning Nigerians should be as puzzled as I am with Tinubu’s assertion that he had no primary and secondary education, yet he possesses a university degree.
Perhaps you might want to inquire of Tinubu how he achieved this, so that we can benefit from his resourcefulness,” accompanied by a laughing emoji.
Atiku and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, are jointly contesting the declaration of Tinubu by the Independent National Electoral Commission as the victor of the February 25 election.
In response, Bala Ibrahim, the Publicity Director of the ruling All Progressives Congress, characterized Atiku as a poor sportsman who is resorting to any means to antagonize the president.
Ibrahim remarked, “Politicians sometimes engage in actions that lead one to question whether they are striving for the advancement of the nation or merely seeking to undermine the system as a whole.
Atiku Abubakar, having traversed the Nigerian political landscape, should ideally be receiving sound counsel.
He has faced numerous allegations from political rivals, most of which were dismissed for their lack of substance, often being baseless and absurd.”
Ibrahim continued, “However, to return and engage in the same, or possibly worse behavior than what he experienced, implies he is dancing to the tune of these political mediocrities.
This approach might not resonate well, and history might not judge him kindly if he persists. His actions resemble those of a poor sport.”