In a stunning turn of events, Nigerian aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, has cast doubt on President Bola Tinubu’s claims regarding his Chicago State University (CSU) certificate forgery case.
Keyamo’s assertions contradict Tinubu’s earlier statements regarding the origin of his replacement certificate, raising questions about the authenticity of the document.
Tinubu had previously stated that he received his original replacement degree certificate from Chicago State University during a speech at Chatham House in 2022. However, Keyamo took to Twitter on Sunday to argue that CSU does not issue replacement certificates directly but relies on third-party vendors for this purpose.
Keyamo’s tweet stated, “So long as the University openly said THEY DO NOT ISSUE REPLACEMENT CERTIFICATES, BUT THAT VENDORS DO SO ON THEIR BEHALF, all these noise about so-called forgery are useless until THE PARTICULAR VENDOR THAT ISSUED the replacement certificate to @officialABAT denies its authenticity. And it is the duty of the accuser to fish out the said vendor and get that evidence. It is not the other way round. He who alleges must prove.”
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The contradiction between Keyamo and Tinubu’s statements has arisen as Tinubu faces renewed scrutiny over his academic credentials. Nigerians on the X platform recently unearthed an old tweet by Keyamo from 2019, where he defended then-President Muhammadu Buhari’s WAEC certificate, stating, “Forgery occurs when the supposed author of a document denies ever making it or denies its authenticity. WAEC has confirmed the authenticity of PMB’s certificate by issuing an attestation of it. Case closed.”
This tweet, although made in defense of Buhari, appears to support CSU’s deposition in Tinubu’s case. Caleb Westberg, the registrar at CSU, has stated that the certificate presented by Tinubu, dated June 22, 1979, and submitted to INEC on June 17, 2022, was not issued by the university, and its administrators cannot verify its source.
With CSU’s deposition, a long-standing controversy surrounding Tinubu’s academic records has taken a new and potentially damaging turn, with calls from Nigerians urging the Supreme Court to take action against Tinubu, including potential removal from office and legal repercussions.
Earlier this year, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party sought legal action in the U.S. to compel CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records, which had been shrouded in secrecy for decades. Tinubu had opposed the release, claiming it would cause him irreparable harm. However, Judge Nancy Maldonado ultimately compelled CSU to disclose the records, leading to revelations that exposed the certificate forgery.
In a world press conference held on Thursday, Mr. Abubakar reaffirmed his commitment to seeking justice to uphold Nigeria’s image and vowed not to relent until the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the matter. The unfolding developments in this case continue to captivate the nation as it awaits the resolution of this high-profile controversy.
