Chicago University: Presidency says Tinubu’s certificate not fake amid mixed reactions… 

Amid mixed reactions following the release of President Bola Tinubu’s academic records, the Presidency has broken its silence saying the president’s certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was genuine and not forged.

The Chicago State University (CSU) had released the records on the orders of the court following a petition by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

He had requested the documents to back his allegation of forgery against Tinubu. The former vice president asked his lawyers to seek legal answers to key issues he considers as fundamental to his suit challenging the qualifications of Tinubu as a president of Nigeria. They include an example of a CSU diploma issued in 1979; Tinubu’s diploma issued in 1979; example of a CSU diploma that “contains the same font, seal, signatures and wording” as Tinubu’s diploma issued in June 1979 and CSU documents certified and produced by Jamar Orr, an associate general counsel at CSU at the time.

Atiku believed the official documents will back the allegation of forgery which was one of those dismissed by the presidential election court in the suit he filed to challenge Tinubu’s election.

The Presidency, in its first official reaction, yesterday, through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said CSU confirmed that the president did not submit a fake result to INEC.

The aide pointed out that CSU had sworn under oath that Tinubu had been a student and a graduate, and that the university does not handle replacements for missing certificates. Ajaiyi said there was no truth in the forgery claim, adding that no person can forge a certificate he already had.