Tinubu’s certificate saga: When Atiku’s ambition begets malice

By Dr. Jimoh Olorede

A Nigerian child born thirty years ago (1993) who, by now, might be a father or mother, knows that the ‘Self-actualisation Priority Need’ of the former Vice President, and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, is utmost attainment of the Nigeria’s presidency seat. There’s no gainsaying in this given the fact that Atiku Abubakar has since 1993 been eyeing the topmost political seat of Nigeria’s presidency, when he contested presidential primaries in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and lost to Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe.

Serially, in 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, he contested on the platform of Action Congress (AC) and lost to Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007; he came to PDP, contested presidential primaries and lost to the then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011; he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014, contested presidential primaries and lost to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015; he returned to the PDP in 2017, contested the 2019 presidential election and lost to the immediate-past President, Muhammadu Buhari; and in 2023 presidential election, he, as usual, contested against Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC and lost. What a political journey of an ambitious 76-year old man!

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is glaringly desirous and ambitious in attaining presidency. Of course, nothing is wrong or bad in this. In fact, it’s his constitutional right to pursue his presidential ambition, and any other genuine ambitions whatsoever.

However, the way and manner Atiku goes about the pursuit of his ambition, by not only instituting a litigation, but also by his adversarial disposition, shows the former Vice President is not only ambitious but also malicious in his bid to wrestle power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In his malicious bid to harm the personality and dignity of his main opponent, Tinubu, Atiku has been on hater-recruitment mission since aftermath of the February 25, 2023 presidential election which brought Tinubu to power as duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

For instance, recently, during his October 5th World Press Conference, which he called and addressed in Abuja after the release of Tinubu’s academic records to him by the Chicago State University (CSU), Atiku said: “I am calling on all well-meaning Nigerians, leaders of thought, our religious leaders, our traditional leaders, our community leaders, our political leaders, and in particular, Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP and, the leaders of every political party in Nigeria, and, indeed, every single person who loves this country, as I do, and who wishes nothing but the best for the country, as I do, to join me in this campaign to enshrine probity, accountability and the basic principles of justice, morality and uprightness in our country and in our government.”

Apart from recruiting haters to join his malicious mission, the former Vice President has also been mischievous in his self-interpretation of the Chicago State University (CSU) Registrar, Caleb Westberg’s deposition as well as the academic records released to him. Neither the CSU nor its Registrar said Tinubu forged his certificates. According to Westberg, the authenticity of a student’s academic records is in the academic transcript, and not necessarily the certificate which might be contracted to a third party for issuance.

A recent report by the disinformation team of the British Broadcasting Commission (BBC) quoted the authority of Tinubu’s former school, CSU, as saying: “We are confident and always have been in the veracity and integrity of our records regarding Tinubu’s attendance and completion of graduation requirements.” So, with this authenticity declaration of Tinubu’s studentship and successful completion and graduation of same by his school, Atiku Abubakar’s allegation of forgery is clearly self-defined with a malicious intention, and of course, spurious.

Asking the President to resign and vacate presidency on the basis of his certificate, which is a sole jurisdiction and determination of the Supreme Court, obviously flagrantly amounts to contempt of the highest court of the land, not only for preempting the decision of the apex court, but also by Atiku’s mischief in the application and usage of the academic documents released to him by the CSU, when he told the Illinois Court that he would use the discoveries in pursuit of his appeal at the Supreme Court in Nigeria.

But few days after the release of Tinubu’s academic records to him via his legal team, he called and addressed a World Press Conference in clear contempt of the highest court of the land. Also worrisome is the way some armchair lawyers in Nigeria are turning the media into a court of law and adjudicating the CSU matter on Televisions and newspapers. These supposed professionals, of course, do not need or expect an Engineer to tell them the implications of their action.

Alhaji Abubakar’s spin-doctors and media handlers should let him know that the way he pursues his self-actualization needs, as propounded by Abraham Maslow, exposes his power lust, which portrays him as maliciously ambitious and ambitiously malicious.

Jimoh Olorede, Ph.D, a don and media scholar, wrote via

[email protected]/08111841887