Tinubu, Buhari, Other Top Politicians Accused Of Certificate Forgery

The Nigerian political space has been heated up in recent days with the controversy surrounding the academic record of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from the Chicago State University (CSU).

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25th election, Atiku Abubakar, requested the records to aid his appeal before the Supreme Court.

However, the issue of certificate forgery is no new thing in Nigeria, as several prominent politicians have been involved in alleged certificate scandals.

Here are six highlights of Nigerian politicians who have been involved in the certificate forgery allegations.

1. Bola Tinubu: The issue of Tinubu’s certificate forgery was earlier raised during his first tenure as governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2003 by the late human rights lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi.

However, in the build-up to the 2023 elections, the issue became a subject of discussion after Tinubu omitted information about his primary and secondary education in the INEC form but stated that he attended Chicago State University.

Despite the brouhaha, Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election. However, Atiku has continued raising issues about the certificate, which led to the CSU’s release of a 32-page document containing Tinubu’s academic record.

2. Muhammadu Buhari: Former President Muhammadu Buhari also faced a similar fate as Tinubu as issues were raised over his secondary school certificate before the 2015 and 2019 elections.

Buhari became a subject of ridicule online, with many critics claiming he did not have a West African Secondary School Certificate and did not attend secondary school.

In reaction to the development, WAEC issued an attestation certificate to the president, confirming that Buhari had obtained a secondary school certificate from the examination body in 1961.

3. Dino Melaye: The controversy over Dino’s certificate started after Sahara Reporters reported that the former senator did not graduate from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and had forged his certificate to secure a seat in the National Assembly.

Amidst the Senate’s investigation at the time, the Vice Chancellor of ABU, Professor Ibrahim Garba, confirmed that Dino Melaye is a graduate of the institution.

4. Kemi Adeosun: Like Melaye, an investigative online platform, Premium Times broke the story that Adeosun, a former Minister of Finance, allegedly forged her NYSC exemption certificate.

Following pressure from her questionable NYSC discharge certificate, Adeosun tendered a resignation letter on September 14, 2018.

5. Peter Mbah: The controversy surrounding the NYSC discharge certificate of the Enugu State governor blew open in February 2023, when NYSC, in response to an inquiry by a non-governmental organisation, released a letter stating that it did not issue the certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the Governor.

Mbah filed a N20 billion case against the NYSC, seeking damages for the injuries caused to his reputation by the controversies surrounding the discharge certificate.

However, the Department of State Security (DSS) in July 2023 cleared Mbah over the alleged certificate forgery, stating that the certificate was found to have been issued to him in Lagos, contrary to the NYSC’s claim.

6. Ademola Adeleke: The Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, was accused and charged before the Osogbo High Court by two members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rasheed Olabayo and Oluwaseun Idowu, for allegedly falsifying his West African Senior School Certificate Examination results and secondary school testimonial.

The plaintiffs sought Adeleke’s disqualification from the September 22, 2019, governorship election for allegedly submitting fake certificates to get the PDP ticket.

The Court of Appeal later cleared Adeleke, saying it was satisfied that Senator Adeleke possessed the requisite educational qualifications to contest the election.