Director of Strategic Communication in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, Dele Alake has said the controversy surrounding presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s certificate should not have been an issue.
Alake stated this in an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Sunday, in an effort to clarify the situation around Tinubu’s certifications, claiming even the late Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II didn’t attend a formal school.
Tinubu claimed in his CF 01 form submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that while he was in self-exile, unauthorized individuals had taken his academic credentials.
One of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) Chieftains who left the country during the rule of the late General Sani Abacha was Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State.
Academics, activists, and other technocrats opposing to Abacha’s dictatorship have faced harsh repression.
Tinubu stated in his signed affidavit in favor of his nomination for the presidency that he “went on self exile from October 1994 to October 1998 (and) when I returned and discovered that my property including all the documents relating to my qualification and my certificates in respect of paragraph 3 above were looted by unknown persons.”
However, detractors claim Tinubu was unable to provide his credentials since he attended primary school under a different name.
Amoda Ogunlere, who spent days trending on social media last week, is one of the names listed.
Alake responded to a question about this during a live television program by saying, “Have you ever seen his document showing the name Amoda or whatever? People say we heard, we heard, rumour mongering nobody has ever shown document like to say this is the certificate with Amoda or whatever.
“I always say that Nigerians should subject this thing to critical analysis. I am not saying that people should not carry rumours because in political environments or political game like this, opponents must dig anything; any dirt, to throw at you. But the point is he who alleges must prove. You must show documentary evidence, I have seen none.
“The issue of primary school you have just mentioned. Let me clear the air today. If you are not old enough, there are people around you who are old enough to know that in those days, when people were indigent and schools were not as many as we have today; a lot of people were indigent and couldn’t afford the school to fees to go to formal institutions and at that time a lot of people did read at home and passed their exams.
“Today I can name you professors who never went to secondary schools who passed their exams from home. Let me even shock you further the Queen of England of the whole world she never went to any formal school, not elementary not any. Go and research it; that is the Queen of England,” he claimed.
