The presidency has firmly refuted allegations suggesting that the certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by President Bola Tinubu for his 2023 presidential candidacy is counterfeit.
Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, issued a statement addressing the controversy, emphasizing that the Chicago State University (CSU), in its deposition, did not acknowledge the certificate as fake.
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Ajayi went on to underscore that the university, in its sworn statement, confirmed Tinubu’s attendance and graduation from the institution. Furthermore, he clarified that the university does not manage the replacement of lost certificates.
This response comes in light of reports suggesting that Chicago State University had testified that the Nigerian President had presented a forged degree certificate to INEC when filing his candidacy paperwork in June 2022.
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However, Ajayi staunchly defended the authenticity of the certificate, asserting that it is illogical for someone to forge a document they already possess. He emphasized, “We should be clear. In the deposition made by the Chicago State University, there was nowhere the University said the certificate presented to INEC by President Tinubu is fake. The University insisted under oath that President Tinubu graduated with honors, and even at that, replacements for lost certificates are done by vendors, not the University.
This statement seeks to address and refute the allegations of certificate forgery surrounding President Tinubu’s candidacy.
“The claim that President Tinubu submitted fake certificate to INEC does not make sense. A man can not forge the academic records he possesses. You can only forge what you don’t have.”
