Bola Tinubu, the presidential nominee of the ruling All Progressives Congress, has informed the electoral commission INEC that he did not attend primary and secondary institutions, as reported by People Gazette.
The former governor of Lagos, however, asserted that he possesses two degrees from American universities, which he further claimed were taken by unidentified soldiers during the military rule of the 1990s.
The revelations were made in an affidavit submitted by Mr. Tinubu to the electoral authority as part of his qualification documents for the 2023 presidential elections.
The papers disclosed on Friday indicated that Mr. Tinubu left the sections for his primary and secondary education empty. Nonetheless, he stated that he earned a degree in business and administration in 1979, seemingly alluding to his earlier assertions about attending Chicago State University.
“I was in self-imposed exile from October 1994 to October 1998. Upon my return, I found that all my possessions, including documents related to my qualifications and certificates mentioned in paragraph three above, had been plundered by unknown individuals.
“My residence was subjected to numerous searches by diverse security forces from the period the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was compelled to adjourn following the military’s seizure of power on November 17, 1993.
“I served as the chairman of the Senate committee on appropriation, banking, and finance. I was also a plaintiff in one of the two lawsuits against the interim national government in 1993.
“I went into exile when I became aware that my life was at risk,” Mr. Tinubu stated in his submission to INEC.
The electoral legislation requires candidates to provide their personal credentials, which will be available for public examination prior to elections.
Mr. Tinubu’s most recent statements seem to contradict his earlier election filings, notably in 1999 and 2003 when he sought office as a gubernatorial candidate in Lagos. He claimed on both occasions that he had completed primary and secondary education.
He mentioned attending St. Paul Children’s Home School, Ibadan, from 1958 to 1964, while his secondary education took place at Government College, Ibadan, from 1965 to 1968.
After Ibadan, Mr. Tinubu stated he moved to Richard Daley College, Chicago, from 1969 to 1971.
He additionally claimed to have attended both Chicago State University and the University of Chicago.
Chicago State University confirmed Mr. Tinubu as an enrolled student, awarding him a degree in business and administration on June 22, 1979.
All the claims, however, were contested as fraudulent by a notable Nigerian attorney, Gani Fawehinmi.
Mr. Fawehinmi, who lived from 1938 to 2009, pursued the matter up to the Supreme Court, which dismissed the case on technicalities rather than its substance.
Ikenga Ugochinyere, a political activist based in Abuja, stated he would challenge Mr. Tinubu’s filings in court, accusing him of committing perjury.
“Mr. Tinubu engages in perjury as he discards his previous statement of attending primary school, sworn in an affidavit to run for governor, yet now asserts he did not attend primary school,” Mr. Ugochinyere remarked in a statement. His “new submissions contradict his 2007 affidavit indicating he has attended both primary and secondary schools.”
A spokesperson for Mr. Tinubu did not respond to a request for comments regarding the alleged inconsistencies in his submissions to the electoral commission.
