A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has advised those questioning the academic qualifications of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to seek redress in court.
The former APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary said this on Saturday while speaking with reporters regarding the allegations that Tinubu submitted false academic qualifications to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Tracknews earlier reported that Tinubu had claimed that unknown persons stole his school certificates during the military rule in 1990.
The former Governor of Lagos State stated this in an affidavit submitted to the INEC as part of his eligibility filings for the 2023 presidential elections.
It was gathered that documents released last Friday show that the APC flagbearer left the columns for his primary and secondary education unmarked.
Tinubu, however, noted that he obtained a degree in business and administration in 1979 at the Chicago State University.
According to Nabena, those doubting the credentials of the APC presidential flagbearer should argue their case in court and stop the needless media trial.
He accused the opposition parties led by the Peoples of Democratic Party (PDP) of spreading propaganda and tarnishing the image of the former Lagos governor.
He said, “Even in politics, we allow room for propaganda both from opposition parties and critics of a political candidate. We know the opposition will always come up with propaganda.
“It is not enough to be making noise on social media. Let them go to court if they have a case. In the case of Buhari, people went to court up and the case was taken up to the Supreme Court level. But we all know what happened. As far as I am concerned, it is not a problem. So whoever is aggrieved from the opposition can go ahead. It is not something the APC is afraid of.
“We know this is the period the opposition will always want to come up with propaganda. But we are not afraid. It is not a problem for us. The good thing about this electoral law also is that you cannot just kick somebody out over an allegation.
“We know the PDP, especially is not ready for this election. They are obviously seeking ways to use the back door into power. But we thank God for the electoral law.”
Nabena stated that the APC is aware of the part of the electoral law that mandates candidates to submit credentials for public scrutiny, adding that the party doesn’t see Tinubu’s travail as a serious issue.
“We are not disputing that. Let’s look at it this way. We have about seven months to the election. If there is a grey area or problem with a flagbearer, they can still go back to the primary before the time. That is the beauty of this new electoral law because, with the time frame, it is not the court that will decide who will be the president or governor.
“It is just like what is happening now. The random changing of names and candidates who didn’t do primary within the time frame now want to be chosen to represent their constituency and all that.
“Since there is a time frame, anybody can go to court. The court also has a timeline to finish any legal proceeding so that everything would have been put in place ahead of the election.
“The truth is that the APC is always prepared. And when you are prepared for this kind of thing, there is always Option B, Option C and so on. In the worst-case scenario, there are capable people that can be substituted. But we are prepared,” he stated.
