Erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze has waded into the ongoing dramatic tussle over the controversial academic records of Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu at the Chicago State University (CSU) which records appear to be shrouded in mystery, embroiling the President in a louche legal hassle with his major contender and chief-rival in the 2023 presidential poll, former Vice President – Alh. Atiku Abubakar.
Recall that a Magistrate Court in the United States last week, ordered Chicago State University to release the academic records of Bola Ahmed Tinubu within 48 hours with disposition to take place with immediate effect after the release. However in a swift appeal lodged a few days after the order, Tinubu pleaded with the Judge to save him from suffering what he termed “severe and irreparable damage” by placing an emergency hold on the court order instructing the release of his academic records which is now enmeshed in the murky waters of controversy.
In a statement made available to the media, Chief Eze says Tinubu had relied on the protective cloak of privacy rights which extends to academic records, to frustrate any investigation into his alleged claim of having graduated from CSU from whence a certificate he submitted on oath to INEC emanated. But the court in its wisdom ruled that the interest of Atiku Abubakar in obtaining Tinubu’s records from CSU outweighs his privacy rights because by submitting his diploma to INEC, he has put his certificate to issue. That means interested parties can question its authenticity and seek verification from the issuing authority; a step leveraged by Atiku.
A member of the ruling APC notwithstanding, Chief Eze said the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar is fighting for a just cause, and by the expose of his doggedness, the lapses in our electoral laws and institutions pertaining to the verification of documents put forward by seekers of public offices have been brought to fore and should be addressed by the framers of laws, adding that some public office holders are consummate forgers of academic records; parading certificates they do not hold.
He said if Tinubu is clean with the CSU academic records he paraded over the years and which he presented on oath to INEC, what then is he trying to hide from Nigerians? If the certificate from CSU is authentic, why strive so hard and spend so much to frustrate efforts to reveal it to an interested party- Atiku Abubakar who has a pending appeal challenging his declaration by the electoral umpire as the winner of the 2023 presidential poll?
Expressing confidence that the courts in the US are conscious of justice which is the fulcrum of their conscience and judgements, Eze condemned efforts by Tinubu and his team to deliberately deploy the usual delay tactics common in the Nigerian Jurisprudence in depriving justice of deserving parties, noting that regardless of their schemes, justice will be served and Nigerians will win in the long run.
“Had the court not given judgement against him, one would have loved to see a situation where our dear President waives every privacy right that constitutes a cloak on the unveiling of his academic records at the Chicago State University, to boost public trust. That’s how to lead by example” Eze said.
Deploying every means to conceal his records does not speak well of him, taints his administration with fraud, and further damages the reputation of our democracy and governance system and every responsible Nigerian should feel concerned about this mess. “It’s now about our country’s reputation”.
