The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has urged opposition presidential candidates to make President Bola Tinubu’s performance in office, rather than his academic credentials, the central issue of the 2027 election campaign.
Ndume said the renewed controversy over Tinubu’s educational records was distracting political parties from issues that directly affect Nigerians.
The All Progressive Congress senator made the remarks in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, where he argued that opposition candidates should present concrete alternatives to the policies of the Tinubu administration instead of dwelling on the President’s certificates.
“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 challenged the opposition to scrutinise the administration’s economic policies and handling of insecurity, arguing that Tinubu had spent more than three years in office and should therefore be assessed 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 after checks showed that the columns for primary and secondary schools were left blank in the EC9 form submitted by the president.
Tinubu listed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, which he said he obtained in 1979, and attached copies of his degree certificate and NYSC discharge certificate.
Defending the President’s eligibility, Ndume argued that Tinubu had satisfied the minimum educational requirement stipulated by the Constitution.
He cited Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires a presidential candidate to be “educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”
According to him, the constitutional provision does not expressly require a presidential candidate to possess a secondary school certificate where an equivalent or higher qualification has been established.
Ndume also maintained that questions surrounding Tinubu’s qualifications had been addressed by the courts in the aftermath of the 2023 presidential election.
He 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 over Tinubu’s credentials has continued to feature prominently in opposition politics.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), recently instituted a legal action against Tinubu over an alleged forgery of his NYSC discharge certificate.
Atiku and the ADC, with the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, joined as defendants, are asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to determine whether Tinubu is 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 election as 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, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, 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.