Atiku Abubakar will hold a World Press Conference today to address Nigerians after President Bola Tinubu’s certificate was allegedly disowned by Chicago State University (CSU).
Recall that Atiku, the People’s Democratic Party presidential flag bearer in the 2023 election, had requested Tinubu’s academic records from CSU to compare them with the one presented by Tinubu to INEC for the 2023 presidential election.
The result provided by CSU confirmed that Bola Tinubu was a student of the school, entering in 1977 and graduating in 1979.
However, the results released raised several questions.
Some pointed out that Tinubu claimed in the document that he graduated from Government College Lagos in 1970 but the school was founded in 1974.
Others pointed out that the gender listed in the records released by CSU is female.
Also, discrepancies in the certificate Tinubu presented to INEC and the one CSU released were pointed out, indicating “forgery”.
Then, at a deposition of school officials on Tuesday, Oct. 3, in Chicago, Caleb Westberg, the registrar at Chicago State University, said Mr Tinubu’s certificate, dated June 22, 1979, and tendered to INEC on June 17, 2022, said it is not a document of the university.
He added that the certificate was not issued by the school and its administrators could, therefore, not be able to authenticate its source.
Mr Westberg, CSU’s registrar since November 2020, was also reported to have said, during the deposition that lasted about 5.5 hours, that Mr Tinubu did not apply for a replacement certificate, nor was he ever issued one.
PDP Chieftain, Dele Momodu, said Atiku will address the nation to discuss the “fake certificate” by 3pm today, October 5.