Tinubu’s Academic Records: Atiku is just beating a drum of shame – APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC) remains unfazed by the recent press conference held by Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement by Felix Morka, Esq. National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), APC describes the press conference as lacking purpose and being filled with false claims, distortions, and deliberate falsehoods regarding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s academic record.
“Over the past few weeks, Atiku Abubakar has shown extreme desperation in his failed attempt to become the President of Nigeria. During the press conference, he intensified his desperation by making unproven accusations against President Tinubu, attempting to sway public opinion and put pressure on the Supreme Court”.
The APC believes that Atiku demonstrated contempt for the highest court by publicly commenting on a matter that is currently under adjudication. It was clear from the press conference that Atiku holds deep animosity towards Tinubu, whom he blames for his electoral defeats in previous years.
READ ALSO: Why I questioned Tinubu’s academic certificates Atiku
The APC condemns Atiku’s behavior, describing it as unbecoming of a statesman who once held the second highest office in the country. They view his recent trip to the United States as a futile attempt to gain power through means other than the will of the Nigerian electorate, as expressed in the last presidential election.
Atiku Abubakar has been widely recognized as Nigeria’s most prolific election loser. The APC sees his visit to the United States as a desperate move by someone who has been consistently rejected by the voters.
While the APC sympathizes with Atiku for his lifelong pursuit of an unrealized dream, they strongly condemn the negative impact of his actions on Nigeria’s international reputation.
READ ALSO: Full Text: Atiku Abubakar’s speech at press conference on Tinubu’s certificate saga
To address the claims made by Atiku, the APC provides clarity on the deposition of Mr. Caleb Westberg, the Registrar of Chicago State University. He stated unequivocally that President Bola Tinubu graduated with honors from the university.
Mr. Westberg also confirmed that the diploma certificate in question is ceremonial and that the proof of studentship at any American university is the transcript, not the certificate.
Just for the record, “we wish to provide some clarity on the matter of the deposition of Mr. Caleb Westberg, the Registrar of Chicago State University, last Tuesday under oath at the Chicago office of Atiku’s lawyer, Angela Liu, to save unsuspecting Nigerians from barrage of untruths, distortions and campaign of misinformation being dished out by Atiku and his PDP.”
Mr. Westberg was unmistaken and unambiguous in his deposition as to the fact that President Bola Tinubu graduated with honours from Chicago State University.
He also emphatically provided clear answers on all other issues raised which we can sum as follows:
1. That the person who is Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is the same person who attended Chicago State University.
2. He confirmed that a certain gentleman called Adeniji who had come forward to say he was Tinubu’s classmate was in fact a student at CSU at the same time and they both ran for student union positions.
3. Mr. Westberg said the diploma certificate, on which the PDP and Atiku seek to gaslight Nigerians and the whole world, is just a ceremonial document and what proved studentship at Chicago State University and in any American university is transcript, not certificate.
Furthermore, he stated that the ‘F’ on the Southwest college certificate, a feeder institution to CSU, which President Bola Tinubu used to gain admission into CSU was a clerical error which could of course happen. He reiterated that Southwest College was a major feeder source for CSU.
4. He said the person admitted based on the transcript from South West College, was a male Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Westberg also added the courses taken by President Bola Tinubu at Southwest College were consistent with the courses he took at CSU.
Westberg further deposed that Accounting is a rigorous field of study. Anyone who did not take the requisite courses at the lower levels could not have done well at CSU.
In President Tinubu’s case, he did excellently well at CSU. He graduated with High Honours. That to him point to the fact that the person who attended and graduated from CSU was the same person who went to Southwest College
5. He pointed out that CSU has had at least six Registrars since 1979 and in an affidavit at an Illinois court prior to the deposition said “Chicago State University provided a diploma to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and subsequently provided a certified (or official) copy of that diploma. Both are valid and authentic diplomas of Chicago State University”.
“He said further that the difference in the date of award on the diploma versus the certified copy is likely the result of human error. The graduation date on the certified copy is typed in manually by a person and can be inaccurate”.
6. Mr. Westberg noted that by practice, CSU does not replace certificates for students as they are issued by 3rd party vendors which is also a common practice by other US universities. The proof of attendance and graduation remains the transcripts.
7. There is also no part of Mr. Westberg’s deposition where he said that the certificate President Bola Tinubu presented to INEC for his election is fake or was forged. All the insinuations and innuendos in this regard are pure mischief and should be disregarded. President Tinubu could not have forged a University degree he honourably earned because there is no advantage to derive from such and no incentive to do so.
“It should now be clear to all Nigerians that despite Atiku’s lies before the Illinois Court that he wanted to use the discoveries in pursuit of his appeal at the Supreme Court, he has rather chosen to use same as an instrument of mischief and blackmail in clear contempt of the highest court of the land”.
“We want to urge former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to graciously accept his defeat and quietly lick his political wound with some dignity. Nigerians rejected him at the polls, and he cannot get by subterfuge what he failed to get through the ballot box”.
Nigerians validly elected President Tinubu to revamp our economy, restore security, create jobs, provide transformative infrastructure, improve electricity supply and enhance the living conditions of the masses.
President Tinubu has undertaken to serve Nigerians and he will not be distracted by a man who has consistently failed to achieve his self-serving and brutal quest to become Nigeria’s president.