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Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, has disclosed he will only “drop” his case against President Bola Tinubu’s academic records after the Supreme Court verdict.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Atiku made the disclosure on Thursday at a press conference in Abuja, where he asked Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to join him in the fight to establish the authenticity of Tinubu’s certificate.
Atiku said at the press conference that the soul of the late legal icon, Gani Fawehinmi can now rest in peace following the discovery of the academic records of President Bola Tinubu at the Chicago State University (CSU).
Atiku recalled how 23 years ago Fawehinmi began the process of unravelling the mystery surrounding Tinubu’s educational claim in Chicago.
Recall that Tinubu’s records with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 1999 when he sought to become Governor of Lagos State showed that he attended Government College Ibadan and the University of Chicago.
Fawehinmi argued in court that the claims were false but could not proceed with the case because Tinubu enjoyed constitutional immunity as Governor of Lagos State.
Atiku said of Gani’s doggedness during the press conference: “Gani’s soul can now rest in peace. The task he started is now completed.”
Tinubu’s current challenge started when in his 2023 presidential quest, submitted to INEC certificate from CSU.
Atiku also paid tribute to investigative journalist, David Hundeyin and millions of other young Nigerians who continued to put the truth about Tinubu on social media even when nobody was listening.
Atiku said the quest against Tinubu was carried out to expose the truth.
During the questions and answer session, Atiku denied the claim that Tinubu was his benefactor.
He said it was true that in 2007, Tinubu offered him the Action Congress of Nigeria platform to contest the presidency. Atiku said shortly afterwards, Tinubu withdrew the support because he (Atiku) refused to accept Tinubu as his running mate. Atiku said Tinubu decided to support the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the candidate of the PDP in the election.
Atiku said in 2003, he was the one who prevailed against Obasanjo not to take Lagos State from Tinubu during the PDP tsunami in the South West. PDP swept all the states in the election except Lagos.
When asked if he was not worried about a backlash to his business interest in Nigeria by fighting the president, Atiku said whatever interest he had with the government was already terminated by then-President Muhammadu Buhari. According to Atiku, none of his businesses has a relationship with the government.
On what exactly he discovered about Tinubu’s records, Atiku asked a lawyer to address the issues.
The lawyer, Kalu Kalu listed the issues, including;
- The Certificate Bola Tinubu submitted to INEC did not emanate from Chicago State University
- The Qualifying Certificate from South West College used by Tinubu to gain admission to CSU, bears female which clearly means it does not belong to him.
- In the CSU documents, Tinubu attended Government College Lagos and graduated in 1970. The said school came into existence only in 1974. It also means the Government College Lagos document is a forgery.
- In the CSU document, Tinubu has American citizenship. But Tinubu swore under oath in an INEC form that he does not have any citizenship other than Nigerian citizenship.
- In the CSU document, the initial ‘A’ in Tinubu’s name is Adekunle. Whereas, the ‘A’ in President Tinubu’s public record is Ahmed.
The lawyer also dismissed the claim that the evidence would not be admitted by the Supreme Court. He said in several rulings of the apex court, parties can present fresh evidence once certain conditions are met. He said the court cases in the U.S. has satisfied that requirement.
The full text of Atiku’s press conference address reads below:
Being text of a press conference by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar (GCON), Waziri Adamawa, Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023), at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre on the 5th of October 2023.
Protocol
Gentlemen of the Press, Fellow Citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I consider it important to address and report to you today on issues that define the future of elective government and legitimate leadership in our country.
Political leadership and active citizenship matter because they are ways through which we all work together to build a country that works for all who live in it. Our country is bigger than any of us, and its standing in the world affects the fate of all who come from or live in it. As leaders, it is our duty to advance the well-being of all our people and of the country.
For this purpose, my generation worked hard to return the soldiers to the barracks and to defend the right of the people to elect and establish for ourselves a legitimate government. Our elections are established and governed by law and founded on the constitution from which leadership and government in Nigeria alone derive their legitimacy.
The people look up to us as leaders to respect these rules and, where necessary, to defend them. This is what brings us here. Today, we are called upon again as a people to uphold and defend the ground rules of elective government in our country. The constitution prescribes the requirements for those who seek the highest elective office in the land. It should not take months or, indeed, decades, for the institutions concerned to be able to do their work in establishing the credibility of any certificates presented by candidates for public office. We undertook this journey at great cost and for important reasons.
The ground rules for legitimate governance in our country need to be upheld, and the reputation of our country is at stake. That affects everyone, Nigerians everywhere. I am a democrat by conviction and a citizen of a country that I love. The issues at stake in this case require us once more to re-dedicate ourselves to both the country and our constitution. Now, we entrust these facts to us all as citizens and as leaders of the institutions charged with interpreting our constitution.
I should thank the lawyers both in Nigeria and in the United States, who have assisted us in bringing clarity and definitive answers to these issues that appear to have defied our institutions for nearly a quarter of a century. I also want to extend my gratitude to Nigerian citizens and friends of Nigeria both within and beyond the shores of our country for their patience as we have sought to find the facts and establish the truth.
I wish to pay tribute to the late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, who inspired us on this path of discovery. Now, he can truly rest in peace in the assurance that what he started about 23 years ago has come to fruition. Gani’s vindication today gives credence to the saying that no matter how fast a lie runs, the truth will someday overtake it.
Former American President Thomas Jefferson once said, “If I had to choose between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose the latter”. From exposing the Watergate scandal and unravelling the dubious certificates of politicians, journalists have maintained eternal vigilance by bridging the gap and stepping in when other arms of government failed.
It is for these reasons that commendation must be given to David Hundeyin, an independent journalist whose extraordinary work and those of many more young people like him has become a source of inspiration. Special thanks must be given to the millions of Nigerian youths and citizen journalists too who continue to put out the truth online even when no one is listening. Indeed, the price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance. They have put the country first in their firm commitment to unravel the truth and hold leaders accountable. This gives me the hope that we have worthy partners in the struggle to reclaim the country we call home.
This quest is not for or about Atiku Abubakar. It is a quest for the enthronement of truth, morality, and accountability in our public affairs. In line with this, therefore, I am calling on all well-meaning Nigerians, leaders of thought, our religious leaders, our traditional leaders, our community leaders, our political leaders, and in particular, Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP and, the leaders of every political party in Nigeria, and, indeed, every single person who loves this country, as I do, and who wishes nothing but the best for the country, as I do, to join me in this campaign to enshrine probity, accountability and the basic principles of justice, morality and uprightness in our country and in our government. This is a task for each and every one of us.
Thank you for listening. May God bless you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.