"He should re-introduce himself to the nation he governs and to the world for the avoidance of further doubt. He should let the world know his name, nationality, his place of birth, his parentage, the primary and secondary schools he attended with dates as well as the actual universities he attended and certificates obtained."
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February election, Peter Obi, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to unveil his true identity to save the image of the country.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, Mr Obi said the Chicago State University saga certificate and the lingering identity question marks of the president have worsened the country's "less-than-glorious image internationally. "
He said uninformed outsiders now see every other Nigerian as a potential fraudster, certain forger, or identity thief, adding that the controversy is unnecessary just as the implicit global embarrassment.
"In my opinion, Chief Bola Tinubu should have saved the nation and himself from this protracted embarrassment and undue anxiety.
"Even this late in the day, however, Chief Bola Tinubu still owes the nation and the world a simple debt of obligation that only he can discharge. I call on him to immediately and personally mount the rostrum of his present high office to perform a simple task once and for all time.
"He should re-introduce himself to the nation he governs and to the world for the avoidance of further doubt. He should let the world know his name, nationality, his place of birth, his parentage, the primary and secondary schools he attended with dates as well as the actual universities he attended and certificates obtained.
"He should indicate clearly where and when he did his National Youth Service. In addition, if at any time he has had a change of name, he should clearly state so and the circumstances. That, in itself, is no crime.
"This simple task should take no more than a few minutes. It requires no affidavits, prolonged court processes, spokespersons, agents, or surrogates. This task is one that only Chief Bola Tinubu himself through a direct personal statement can perform. He must perform this task urgently in order to lay to rest, once and for the last time, the many lingering doubts and valid speculations about his true identity," Mr Obi said.
The LP candidate, who is also challenging Mr Tinubu's victory at the Supreme Court, said Nigerians deserve to know for a certainty the true identity of their leader and that this overrides whatever rights the president may have to his privacy.
He further stated that the international community deserves to know the true identity of the president with whom they will engage in Nigeria.
"Having stood for an election to the elevated public office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Bola Tinubu has implicitly undertaken to cede the rights of a private citizen in favour of a life of open disclosure of his true identity, and other circumstances that may be of public interest. His personal integrity demands no less.
"The legitimacy of the office he currently occupies demands that much and even more. Respect for the integrity and esteem of the Nigerian nation within the community of nations makes it even more incumbent and compulsory," Mr Obi said.
Background
CSU had on Monday last week presented the legal team of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 25 February presidential election Atiku Abubakar, with the academic records of Mr Tinubu.
This followed the ruling of a US court on a suit filed by Atiku requesting the institution to do so.
The following day, CSU Registrar, Caleb Westberg, made a deposition at the court, giving further details on the documents that were released to Mr Atiku's team.
In a subsequent press conference last Thursday, the legal team said it identified at least five discrepancies in the documents issued by the CSU sufficient enough to overturn the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal at the Supreme Court.
It said it was able to establish that Mr Tinubu committed forgery, has dual citizenship, and presented an NYSC certificate that has a different name from the one he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the election.
At the forum, Atiku, who vowed not to give up the fight against the president, also called on Mr Obi and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, to join him in the fight.
Atiku has since requested the permission of the Supreme Court where he is appealing the judgement of the PEPC, to present the documents to it.
INEC, on 1 March, declared Mr Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 25 February presidential poll. He defeated Messrs Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso who came second, third and fourth.
Read the full text of Mr Obi's press conference.
STATEMENT ON BOLA AHMED TINUBU'S IDENTITY ISSUES BY LP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. PETER OBI
Having followed the prolonged identity crisis that recently played out in the American Court System and the controversy surrounding the authenticity of the Chicago State University credentials of Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I must confess that I am distressed as a Nigerian. In addition to the barrage of media frenzy that the matter has triggered at home and abroad, I have had the unwholesome burden of responding to embarrassing questions about Nigeria's overall credibility as a nation to privileged audiences and individuals both at home and abroad in different parts of the world where I have travelled lately.
To outsiders, the entire Chicago State University matter as well as Bola Ahmed Tinubu's many other lingering identity question marks has further worsened Nigeria's less-than-glorious image internationally. Uninformed outsiders now see every other Nigerian as a potential fraudster, certain forger, or identity thief. The controversy is unnecessary just as the implicit global embarrassment could have been avoided.
In my opinion, Chief Bola Tinubu should have saved the nation and himself from this protracted embarrassment and undue anxiety. Even this late in the day, however, Chief Bola Tinubu still owes the nation and the world a simple debt of obligation that only he can discharge. I call on him to immediately and personally mount the rostrum of his present high office to perform a simple task once and for all time. He should re-introduce himself to the nation he governs and to the world for the avoidance of further doubt. He should let the world know his name, nationality, his place of birth, his parentage, the primary and secondary schools he attended with dates as well as the actual universities he attended and certificates obtained. He should indicate clearly where and when he did his National Youth Service. In addition, if at any time he has had a change of name, he should clearly state so and the circumstances. That, in itself, is no crime. This simple task should take no more than a few minutes. It requires no a+davits, prolonged court processes, spokespersons, agents, or surrogates. This task is one that only Chief Bola Tinubu himself through a direct personal statement can perform. He must perform this task urgently in order to lay to rest, once and for the last time, the many lingering doubts and valid speculations about his true identity.
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A leader cannot outsource a clear unambiguous personal statement about his identity to political surrogates, social spokespersons, lawyers, or any other persons no matter how highly placed. A matter of the personal identity of a leader is too sensitive and central to the functions of the office he currently occupies to be tried with, outsourced, or disguised under the cloak of officialdom. It is also about integrity, morality, values, and the rule of law that denies the character of the Nation and its people. In his present capacity as a leader of a nation of over 200 million Nigerians, his true identity is a matter of grave national and international interest.
The people deserve to know for a certainty the true identity of their leader and this overrides whatever rights he may have to personal privacy. In addition, the international community deserves to know the true identity of the person with whom they will engage in Nigeria. Having stood for an election to the elevated public office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Bola Tinubu has implicitly undertaken to cede the rights of a private citizen in favour of a life of open disclosure of his true identity, and other circumstances that may be of public interest. His personal integrity demands no less. The legitimacy of the office he currently occupies demands that much and even more. Respect for the integrity and esteem of the Nigerian nation within the community of nations makes it even more incumbent and compulsory.
It is time to do the right thing.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Peter Obi
