Ndume Urges Opposition To Drop Tinubu Certificate Debate, Focus On Performance

Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has urged opposition parties to shift their attention from President Bola Tinubu’s academic credentials and concentrate on his administration’s performance as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections intensify.

Ndume, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and Senator representing Borno South, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, describing the renewed debate over Tinubu’s certificates as a distraction from the issues that should shape the next presidential contest.

According to him, opposition presidential candidates should present Nigerians with clear alternatives rather than making the President’s academic credentials the centre of political discourse.

“The narrative around his certificate is distracting. What opposition presidential candidates should be doing is to tell Nigerians what they have to offer. What are their alternative economic policies? What can they do better than President Tinubu?”

Ndume also challenged opposition parties to scrutinise the administration’s policies, particularly its handling of the economy and insecurity.

“They should interrogate his economic policies and how his government has handled insecurity. The President has been in office for over three years now. So why should his certificates be the main talking point?”

The former Senate Leader’s comments followed renewed concerns among opposition figures over Tinubu’s academic history after checks showed that the columns for primary and secondary education were left blank in the EC9 form submitted by the President.

Tinubu listed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, obtained in 1979, and attached his degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate.

Ndume, however, maintained that Tinubu had satisfied the educational requirement for presidential candidates stipulated by the 1999 Constitution.

He cited Section 131(d) of the Constitution, which provides that a person seeking the presidency must be educated to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.

“The Constitution only sets a minimum educational qualification. It does not say it must be a secondary school certificate.”

The senator further argued that questions surrounding Tinubu’s educational qualification had already been settled by the courts following the 2023 presidential election.

Ndume called on opposition parties to raise the standard of political debate as the country moves closer to the 2027 elections.

“As we move deeper into campaigns, the opposition should elevate the discourse beyond pettiness,” he said.

He added a quote attributed to former United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to underscore his position on the need for issue-based political engagement.

“As Eleanor Roosevelt once put it, great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”