Certificate Controversy: ‘Whoever Leads Nigeria Must Have History Devoid of Ambiguity’ – Arewa Forum

The Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Prof. Tukur Mohammed Baba, has insisted that Nigerians have a legitimate right to demand clarity from anyone seeking to lead the country following the controversy which generated from the academic credentials of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In an interview with Arise TV on Tuesday, Baba said Nigeria’s political system had become too flexible because citizens and institutions often failed to demand accountability from public officials.

“There is no standard in Nigeria’s politics because we do not demand accountability,” Baba said.

According to him, Nigerian politics and laws are often applied selectively, while some individuals have allegedly been allowed to pass through the system despite questions surrounding their credentials.

“Our politics and laws are always flexible. If you look at the country, no institution is going straight, including the judiciary. People have filtered through with fake credentials; that is the nature of the politics we play,” he said.

Baba stressed that Nigerians must be able to ask questions about the credentials of anyone seeking the highest political office in the country.

“If you are presenting yourself for the highest office in Nigeria, where you are entrusted with holding the lives of millions together, it is legitimate to ask questions,” he said.

He added that questions surrounding a politician’s primary and secondary school certificates should be properly addressed, particularly where explanations appear to change over time.

“If there are questions surrounding your primary and secondary school certificates, we should know why. The explanation should not keep changing like the English weather,” Baba said.

Meanwhile, Dr Reuben Abati argued that there is nowhere in the Nigerian Constitution that expressly requires a president to present substantive evidence that he attended school or to present all his certificates.

Rufai Oseni, however, interrupted to ask whether the Constitution contains any provision allowing a person who presented a particular document in 1999 to change that document in 2026.

Abati responded that the Constitution is supreme.