A former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has described the judgement of a United States court directing the Chicago State University to release the academic records of President Bola Tinubu to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, as a national disgrace.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Mr Chidoka observed that it was worrisome that relevant Nigerian institutions could not unravel the circumstances over the academic history of the President.
“As a nation, we have a full retinue of staff at the Department of the State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Embassy of Nigeria with the full complement of staff in Washington DC and the Nigerian judiciary that have variously ruled on matters concerning President Tinubu’s academic qualifications.
“Yet, we can not have a definitive conclusion about whether he has the academic qualifications he claimed he had or not. Disgraceful.
“That all the aforementioned institutions allowed a man to be sworn in without definitive statements about his qualifications is a national tragedy.
“For 23 years, the issue of President Tinubu has been a recurring decimal in our national equation. Under his reign, a current youth corps member is serving as minister, and people under investigation by the EFCC and made public are sitting in the Federal Executive Council. And they all passed through security screening,” Mr Chidoka said.
The former minister noted that it took the courageous activism of Mr Abubakar to force the discovery of information “concerning the President of Nigeria is a disgrace to our national institutions”.
“The office of the President of Nigeria is so important both in its moral authority and its strategic importance to our national security and safety that nobody who has possible blind spots that can make him or her a potential asset for foreign intelligence or governments should be allowed a mile near that office.
“This should be a primary burden on all our national institutions. Legal technicalities and silence by state institutions should be deemed high treason.
“It highlights my previous statement that a constitution amendment to finish all electoral cases before the assumption of office is now a matter of urgent national priority.
“The current disgraceful proceedings against a Nigerian President in a foreign court under election petition matters are damaging to our collective moral and legal standing as a people.
“If it turns out tomorrow that our President presented a forged certificate to INEC, Nigerians will bow down their heads globally in shame.
“On the other hand, if it turns out that his certificate is genuine, again our reputation as a people is still in tatters because of the failure of national institutions to perform due diligence no matter who is involved.
“On both counts, it reinforces global perceptions and prejudice against Nigerians. We all bear the burden.
“A forged certificate finding leaves President Tinubu in a vulnerable position morally and legally. As he did not present primary and secondary certificates to INEC, a forged CSU certificate makes him unqualified to stand for the office of President as he does not possess the minimum qualification S.131(D) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“Of course, the next issue is the case of perjury, the presentation of false documents under oath.
“How INEC accepted a university degree without the qualifying certificates would continue to be a national mystery. A language in our electoral legislation to forestall such obvious infractions is required.
“The decision of the District Court and the whole proceedings is not a moment of triumphalism but a sober moment of introspection. It is a moment when as a nation we ask ourselves.”
