The academic records of President Bola Tinubu at Chicago State University (CSU) have come under fresh scrutiny following allegations by a former lecturer at the institution that the Nigerian leader never attended the American university.
Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, the Peoples Democratic Party's 2027 Lagos governorship candidate, made the allegation during an interview on News Central Television's Breakfast Central programme on Sunday.
Pearse said he worked at Chicago State University between 1985 and 1990, claiming that his experience at the institution informed his position on Tinubu's educational history.
"I used to be a lecturer at Chicago State University," he said.
He further claimed that he directed the programme Tinubu reportedly attended, insisting that the President was never a student of the institution.
"The fact of the matter is, I know he never attended Chicago State University," Pearse said.
Start tomorrow informed
Save your place for the morning brief. We’ll start emailing when delivery goes live.
Free. Confirm by email. Unsubscribe anytime.
The PDP governorship candidate also accused Tinubu of presenting false educational information to the Independent National Electoral Commission, alleging that some of the schools listed in his records were institutions he never attended.
"This man is a professional crook," he said.
Pearse also questioned Education Minister Tunji Alausa's recent defence of the President's academic qualifications, accusing him of misleading Nigerians.
Alausa had maintained that Tinubu graduated from Chicago State University with a first-class degree in accounting, saying, "I'm telling you hardcore facts."
The minister also claimed to have lived in Chicago for several years and personally met some of Tinubu's former classmates.
However, Chicago State University's records contradict Pearse's claim that Tinubu never attended the institution.
Documents released during a legal proceeding in the United States showed that Tinubu enrolled at the university in 1977 and graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
The university's registrar, Caleb Westberg, also testified in a US court that Tinubu attended and graduated from the institution.
Tinubu's Form EC9 submitted to INEC equally identifies Chicago State University as the institution where he obtained his degree in June 1979.
The records, however, do not establish that he graduated with first-class honours, as claimed by the Education Minister.
Pearse's stated period of employment at the university, between 1985 and 1990, was also several years after Tinubu's recorded attendance and graduation.
The controversy dates back to the 2023 presidential election, when former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar approached a federal court in Illinois to compel Chicago State University to release Tinubu's academic records.
On September 30, 2023, a US judge ordered the release of the documents, which subsequently became central to the dispute over the President's educational qualifications.
Meanwhile, presidential spokespersons Bayo Onanuga and Daniel Bwala had yet to respond to enquiries seeking the Presidency's reaction to Pearse's latest allegations, according to the report.
Discussion0