"Attempt to Divert His Attention": APC Chieftain Speaks on Atiku's Case Against Tinubu's Certificate

• The controversy surrounding the academic certificate obtained by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been amplified by his top opponent, Atiku Abubakar
• Abubakar, a chieftain of Nigeria's main opposition party, the PDP, dragged Tinubu to a US court; now he is claiming the president forged the certificate he obtained from the Chicago State University (CSU)
• A supporter of Tinubu and chieftain of the ruling APC, Ibrahim Muritala, spoke to Legit.ng in an interview, and criticised Atiku's moves

Frankfurt, Germany - Dr. Engr. Ibrahim Muritala, the general secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Germany chapter, has described Atiku Abubakar’s US expedition as “an unnecessary attempt to divert attention from other pressing national issues”.

Atiku was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the February 2023 election.

There is an ongoing legal battle between him and Bola Tinubu as the PDP candidate hunts for the president’s educational records in the US.

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Speaking to Legit.ng in an interview, Engr. Muritala listed the “pressing national issues” as healthcare, education, security, agriculture, unemployment, and economic development.

He insinuated that Atiku, who was defeated in the 2023 poll according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is only trying to distract the Tinubu administration from governance.

Engr. Muritala told Legit.ng on Sunday, October 8:

“President Tinubu´s certificate details from Chicago State University have sparked a debate about the transparency and authenticity of educational qualifications in Nigerian politics.

"We believe that this move by former VP and Presidential Candidate of PDP, Alh. Abubakar Atiku is an unnecessary attempt to divert attention from other pressing national issues such as healthcare, education, security, agriculture, unemployment, and economic development.

“Atiku wants to hinder productive discussions on policies, reforms, and the renewed hope agenda of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

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Chicago State University: Kperogi defends Tinubu

In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that Farooq Kperogi, a prominent US-Nigerian columnist, said Tinubu did not commit forgery in the legal sense of the term.

Kperogi, in his column on Saturday, October 7, stated that certificates are ‘legally worthless’ in the United States.

Certificate saga: "Tinubu was careless", Kperogi

Earlier, Kperogi claimed although Tinubu was “careless” to have submitted a document printed by a third-party vendor to INEC, it is incorrect for anyone to say he “forged” the certificate (called a “diploma” in America).

Kperogi said Tinubu should have submitted CSU’s official diploma to INEC in 2022.

Source: Legit.ng