A member of the presidential screening committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been charged by another member of the party, Sagir Mai Iyali to disqualify the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu over alleged age falsification and certificate forgery.
The petition is said to have been written on the 17th of May, 2022. It was submitted on Monday, May 30, and its receipt was acknowledged by one Emmanuel Akpan.
The academic qualifications of the former Governor of Lagos State have been a subject of controversy for many years.
In his resumé, Tinubu indicated that he graduated from the University of Chicago in his INEC form 001 filled when he contested the Lagos State governorship poll in 1999.
The presidential aspirant also stated that he lost his university degree certificate while he was in exile between 1994 and 1998.
In the petition forwarded to the chairman of the presidential screening committee, John Odigie-Oyegun, Iyali said that Tinubu never graduated from the University of Chicago.
He added that the former governor also lied about his age and state of origin.
The staunch member of the APC noted that Tinubu shouldn’t be allowed to participate in the June 7 primary election of the party.
Iyali said, “We understand that Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has since procured his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms and has submitted same to the party has certain issues that amount to a similar disqualification scenario.
“From the information contained in a prior submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), particularly in 1999, Mr Tinubu Presented a false claim, on oath, of his attendance at the University of Chicago from 1972-1976. It is clear now that these claims are false. Not only was this filed in the INEC form with a declaration on oath on December 20th, 1999, but it was also contained in an affidavit of loss sworn to before the High Court of Lagos, Ikeja Registry, December 29th 1998.
“The latter claim that seeks to transpose history is untenable. Mr Tinubu has to show proof he attended the University of Chicago or he must stand disqualified as the opposition has these same documents.
“Over the years, the identity of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been shrouded in secrecy. No one can claim to know the identity of the man.
Similarly, the age of Tinubu is not known to anyone. Though it’s not a contention that he is above the statutory age of 35-years, it’s equally important that his exact age is known.”