Former Senate Leader and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ali Ndume, has urged opposition parties to focus their 2027 presidential campaigns on President Bola Tinubu’s policies and performance rather than the controversy surrounding his academic qualifications.
Ndume said the renewed debate over Tinubu’s certificates was distracting political parties from issues that should form the basis of the election campaign, particularly the economy and insecurity.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday, the APC chieftain challenged opposition candidates to explain how they would govern differently and present Nigerians with clear alternatives to the policies of the Tinubu administration.
The controversy over Tinubu’s academic credentials resurfaced following scrutiny of the EC9 form he submitted ahead of the 2023 presidential election. While the President listed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, United States, in 1979, the sections for his primary and secondary school qualifications were left blank.
Tinubu also submitted copies of his university degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate with his nomination documents.
Ndume, however, argued that Tinubu satisfied the constitutional requirement for contesting the presidency, citing Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires a presidential candidate to have been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent.
He maintained that the Constitution did not specify a particular secondary school certificate as the only qualification required.
According to him, the issue of Tinubu’s eligibility had already been subjected to legal challenges following the 2023 presidential election, making it unnecessary for opposition parties to continue making the certificate controversy a major campaign issue.
“The narrative around his certificate, in my opinion, is distracting.
“What opposition parties’ presidential candidates and their spokespersons should focus on are their alternative economic policies, if they have any.
“What can they do better than President Tinubu? They should come out and tell Nigerians,” Ndume said.
He noted that Tinubu had been in office for more than three years, giving the opposition enough material to assess his administration’s record and offer alternative solutions to Nigerians.
Ndume said issues such as economic policies and the government’s efforts to address insecurity should receive greater attention as political activities ahead of the 2027 election intensify.
“He has been in office for over three years now. So, how can the narrative around his certificates be the focus of his challengers?
“I think as we progress in the campaigns, the opposition should elevate the discourse beyond the mundane,” he said.
The former Senate Leader urged opposition parties to develop clear and convincing programmes that would demonstrate to voters why their candidates could perform better than the incumbent.
He also quoted former United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in emphasising the importance of issue-based political discourse: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
About the Author
