The Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation Saturday stated that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, did not lie under oath over academic qualifications.
This followed an allegation that Tinubu claimed in the forms he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2022 that he did not attend primary and secondary schools.
The former Lagos State governor was said to have claimed that he attended primary and secondary schools in the forms he submitted to INEC in 1999.
INEC had in line with the Electoral Act, on Friday released the Form EC9 containing some details of presidential candidates of the various political parties in the 2023 elections.
Based on this, a civil group, Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy on Saturday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General (IG) of Police to arrest and prosecute the former Governor of Lagos State for allegedly supplying false information to the INEC.
Tinubu, according to the group, lied in his Form EC9 that he did not attend both primary and secondary schools.
The group alleged that Tinubu’s claim contradicted his earlier submission to the electoral umpire in 1999 in his Form CF 001, where he also claimed that he attended Saint Paul Aroloya Children Home School Ibadan, between 1958 and 1964 and Government College, Ibadan between 1965 and 1969.
In its reaction, the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation on Saturday described the allegations by the Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy as untrue.
The Director of Media and Communications of the organisation, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, who spoke in Abuja, said the group was only bringing up issues where there were none.
He said the APC presidential candidate was more than qualified to be Nigeria’s president.
Onanuga insisted that the former Lagos State governor did not submit any fake certificate to the electoral umpire in 1999.
According to him, the one (certificate) people keep referring to that he submitted was not even filled by him.
Onanuga argued that the Lagos State House of Assembly had exonerated Tinubu in its report.
“Asiwaju was exonerated in the House of Assembly’s report because Senator Afikuyomi said he filled the form on his behalf then.
“The same certificate he gave to INEC this year, he used in 2003 and there was no issue then. Why are they raising issues now?
“And what people don’t know is that when he was in exile, his house at Balarabe Musa Crescent in Surulere was burnt by the military and he couldn’t pick out a pin from the razed building.
“This was what happened that time and if in 2022, he (Tinubu) now drew blank on that session, what offence has he committed?
“Those who are making noise are PDP agents who are just trying to raise issues where there is none,” he said.
The campaign spokesman further said that the only thing needed to be Nigeria’s president is a school certificate but that the APC candidate had qualifications higher than a primary school certificate.
“People making noise are PDP agents. They cannot just be coming out to raise issues where there are non-issues.
“He (Tinubu) is more than qualified to be president of Nigeria,” he said.
Group Gives Buhari, IG 48 Hours to Arrest Former Lagos Gov
Meanwhile, Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy on Saturday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to President Buhari and the IG of Police to arrest and prosecute the former Governor of Lagos State for allegedly supplying false information to INEC.
Legal Adviser of the group, Mr. Kalu Agu, at a press briefing in Abuja, said that the alleged offence committed by Tinubu breached both the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
Kalu disclosed that the group raised the alarm because the police were yet to respond to its petition since June 16, 2022.
“We wrote a petition to the IG on June 16, demanding the prosecution of Tinubu for providing false information on oath in his INEC form CF 001 which he submitted in 1999.
“Since the IG is yet to act on the petition, we are using this press conference to call on the IG to do the needful; he is not above the law; nobody is above the law, Sections 191 and 192 make it a criminal offence to provide false information on oath.
“We are also calling on President Buhari to direct the IG to arrest and prosecute Tinubu for perjury; it is a very serious issue,” Kalu said.
He added that in the event Buhari and IG failed to do the needful, the group in conjunction with other civil groups would approach a court of law for judicial review and order of mandamus to order the IG to do the needful.
The Abuja-based lawyer explained that the position of his group for the arrest of Tinubu was not politically-motivated but based on the need for good governance and transparent leadership, which Nigeria deserves in the 2023 general election.
He insisted that the former Lagos State Governor is not legally qualified to become the next president of Nigeria on the grounds of supplying false information on oath in his Form EC 9 submitted to the INEC.
According to him, Tinubu had in 1999, claimed to have attended Saint Paul Aroloya Children Home School, Ibadan between 1958 and 1964 and Government College, Ibadan between 1965 and 1969, but turned around in 2022, to claim that he never attended any primary or secondary school in his Form EC9.
The civil group legal adviser, who presented the ad-hoc report of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which investigated the former governor in 1999 pointed out that Tinubu admitted discrepancies in his academic qualifications.
He said that the investigation of Tinubu’s academic qualification was the aftermath of a petition written by a foremost legal luminary and social crusader, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN).
Among the vital documents, which he claimed were attached to the petition delivered to the IG and acknowledged by his office are the forms submitted to INEC by the APC presidential candidate in 1999 and 2022.
In a related development, another civil group under the aegis of Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI), has officially demanded from INEC, a copy of the nomination forms of all presidential candidates for the 2023 general election.
The group in the letter dated June 20 and signed by its Executive Director, Adeolu Oyinlola, said the request was made in line with the Freedom of Information Act.
Consequently, the group urged the Chairman of the commission to grant its demands within seven days in line with the law.
Among leading presidential candidates in the 2023 election is Tinubu of the APC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
The letter titled: Freedom of Information Application for Certified True Copies of The Nomination Forms as well as all Attached Documents of Candidates Intending to Participate in the 2023 Presidential Election, read in part, “Kindly furnish us with Certified True Copies of the Nomination Forms (as well as all attached documents) of all candidates bidding to become President in 2023.
“We would be grateful if this application of ours is granted within the seven (07) days prescribed by the Freedom of Application Act, 2011.
“We extend to you, the assurances of our consideration and regards.”
Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
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