The certificate scandal rocking the All Progressive Congress APC presidential candidate has continued to attract various reactions with the latest being the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Yekini Nabena, who said critics should head to court and not turning to the media to judge him.
The certificates scandal trended on social media from Friday night to the early hours of Saturday morning.
Tinubu had told the Independent National Electoral Commission that the academic certificates he received from his primary and secondary schools were missing.
The former Lagos governor further averred that he had two degrees from two American universities, which were allegedly stolen by ‘unknown soldiers’ during the military junta in 1994.
He made the disclosure in an affidavit submitted to the INEC as part of his eligibility filings for the 2023 presidential elections.
In the said affidavit, which was released on Friday, Tinubu left the columns for his primary and secondary education unticked.
It read, “I went on self-exile from October 1994 to October 1998. When I returned I discovered that all my property, including all the documents relating to my qualifications and my certificates in respect of paragraph three above, were looted by unknown persons.
“My house was a target of a series of searches by various security agents from the time the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was forced to adjourn following the military takeover of the government of 17th November 1993.
“I was the chairman of the Senate committee on appropriation, banking and finance. I was also a plaintiff in one of the two suits against the interim national government in 1993.
“I went on exile when it became clear to me that my life was in danger.”
The internet was agog as a section of Nigerian youths took a swipe at the APC presidential candidate with claims that he was trying to use the same gimmick deployed by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari in the build to the 2015 election.
Few others clamoured for his disqualification, citing that the electoral law mandates candidates to submit their personal credentials for public scrutiny ahead of elections.
Reacting to the controversy, the former APC deputy spokesman disclosed that the media trial and claim of perjury was a needless media trial.
