Ndume Urges Opposition to Focus on Tinubu’s Performance, Not Academic Credentials
Former Senate Leader and Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has urged opposition political parties to shift their attention from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s academic credentials and focus instead on his administration’s performance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ndume, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the call in a statement issued in Abuja, describing the renewed controversy over President Tinubu’s certificates as a distraction from the substantive issues that should shape the coming electoral contest.
According to him, opposition presidential candidates should present Nigerians with clear policy alternatives and explain how they intend to address the country’s economic and security challenges.
“The narrative around his certificate is distracting. What opposition presidential candidates should be doing is to tell Nigerians what they have to offer. What are their alternative economic policies? What can they do better than President Tinubu?”
Ndume said opposition parties should critically examine the Federal Government’s economic policies and its handling of insecurity rather than concentrating on issues he described as peripheral.
“The President has been in office for over three years now. So why should his certificates be the main talking point?” he asked.
His comments followed renewed scrutiny of President Tinubu’s academic credentials after questions were raised over the entries for primary and secondary education in the EC9 form submitted by the President.
Ndume, however, maintained that Tinubu had satisfied the educational requirement for presidential candidates stipulated by the 1999 Constitution.
He cited Section 131(d), which provides that a presidential candidate must be “educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent,” arguing that the Constitution does not specifically require a candidate to possess a secondary school certificate.
The senator also noted that President Tinubu’s academic qualifications had previously been subjected to legal scrutiny following the 2023 presidential election.
He pointed out that Tinubu had declared a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, obtained in 1979, alongside his degree certificate and NYSC discharge certificate.
Ndume consequently called on opposition parties to raise the standard of political debate as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
“As we move deeper into campaigns, the opposition should elevate the discourse beyond pettiness,” he said, urging political actors to engage Nigerians on policies, governance, the economy, security and other issues affecting their daily lives.
Quoting former United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Ndume added: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
He maintained that the 2027 election should provide Nigerians with an opportunity to compare competing ideas, policies and records of performance rather than becoming dominated by personal controversies.
Ndume Urges Opposition to Focus on Tinubu’s Performance, Not Academic Credentials