Former Senate Leader and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ali Ndume, has described the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s academic qualifications as a distraction.
Concerns have been raised over the president’s certificates following the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s publication of the academic qualifications of 19 presidential candidates and their running mates.
Naija News reports that Ndume shared his thoughts on the situation in a press statement on Monday.
Ndume stated that opposition figures should not focus on Tinubu’s credentials.
He argued that Tinubu has met the eligibility requirements for the office and dismissed the insinuation that his secondary school certificate should have been attached.
Citing Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution, the former Senate Leader submitted that “the Constitution only establishes a minimum educational threshold, but it does not insist on the particularity of a secondary school certificate as the only means by which that threshold can be met”.
“ A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if-
“(d) he has been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent,” he stated.
According to Ndume, opposition parties should focus on Tinubu’s policies and performance as a sitting President rather than his eligibility for the office, which he noted had been settled by litigation arising from the 2023 presidential election
“The narrative around his certificate, in my opinion, is distracting,” the senator added.
