The presidential candidate from the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, held a press conference in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Wednesday.
During this conference, Obi addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s identity and his academic records at Chicago State University. Obi also mentioned the international embarrassment this issue has caused for Nigeria.
In his statement, Obi expressed his distress as a Nigerian, having witnessed the identity crisis and the doubts surrounding Tinubu’s Chicago State University credentials unfold in the American court system. He emphasized that this controversy has not only sparked significant media attention domestically and internationally but has also led to unsettling questions about Nigeria’s credibility on a global scale during his recent travels abroad.
Obi pointed out that the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s identity has further tarnished Nigeria’s international image, with outsiders potentially viewing Nigerians as potential fraudsters, forgers, or identity thieves. He considered this situation entirely avoidable and called on Tinubu to alleviate the nation and himself from this prolonged embarrassment.
Obi’s plea to Tinubu was straightforward. He urged Tinubu to use his current position of authority to personally address these questions and eliminate any lingering doubts. He asked Tinubu to provide essential information about his identity, including his name, nationality, place of birth, parentage, details of primary and secondary schools attended with dates, information about the universities he attended and the certificates he obtained, and details about his National Youth Service.
Additionally, Obi suggested that if Tinubu ever changed his name, he should transparently clarify when and under what circumstances it occurred. Obi highlighted that this task should be simple and could be accomplished within a few minutes, requiring no affidavits, court processes, spokespersons, agents, or surrogates. He stressed that only Tinubu himself, through a direct personal statement, could effectively perform this task, laying to rest any doubts and speculations about his true identity.
Obi emphasized that a leader’s personal identity is too critical to be outsourced or concealed under the guise of officialdom. It is a matter of integrity, morality, values, and the rule of law, affecting the character of the nation and its people. In his role as the leader of a nation with over 200 million citizens, Tinubu’s true identity is a subject of significant national and international interest.
Obi contended that the people have the right to know the true identity of their leader, which takes precedence over any personal privacy rights he may claim. Furthermore, the international community deserves to know who they will be engaging with in Nigeria.
As a presidential candidate who aspired to hold a public office of such stature, Tinubu implicitly accepted the responsibility of disclosing his true identity and other relevant details that may be of public interest. It is an obligation tied to personal integrity, the legitimacy of the office he currently occupies, and the reputation of the Nigerian nation within the international community.
Obi concluded by stating that it is time to do the right thing, reaffirming his commitment to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.