Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticized Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate who won the 2023 presidential election, for not addressing the issue of his “true identity”. During a world press conference on October 11, 2023, Obi said that Tinubu should have saved himself and Nigeria from the embarrassment of relying on surrogates to defend him on the issue.
Obi further stated that Tinubu should introduce himself to the nation he governs and to the world to avoid further doubt. He insisted that Tinubu must reveal his name, nationality, place of birth, current age, the primary and secondary schools he attended with dates, as well as the actual universities he attended and certificates he obtained. Additionally, Tinubu should state clearly when and where he did his national youth service whether he had a change of name, and why.
Obi emphasized that this is a simple task that requires no affidavit, prolonged talk process, spokespersons, agents, or surrogates. He urged Tinubu to perform the task himself and through a direct personal statement to lay to rest many lingering doubts and speculations about his true identity.
Obi’s criticism of Tinubu is similar to that of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who also lost the 2023 election to Tinubu. Abubakar held a similar press conference on October 5, 2023, in which he questioned Tinubu’s identity.
The controversy surrounding Tinubu’s identity arose after Chicago State University (CSU) released documents that showed discrepancies in Tinubu’s date of birth, gender, and other information.
Atiku had called on Obi, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, and other Nigerians to join his quest for “justice” in controversy around President Tinubu’s certificate.
Atiku requested Tinubu’s CSU certificate after suspecting the authenticity of the one Tinubu submitted to INEC.