The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, says the reputation of Nigeria is at stake with the controversy surrounding the academic records of President Bola Tinubu.

The Chicago State University (CSU), on Monday, October 2, 2023, released Tinubu’s credentials in compliance with the order of a court in the United States.

The CSU Registrar, Carl Westberg, on Tuesday, told the court that a replacement copy of the Diploma certificate Tinubu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not from the university.

Westberg said he was seeing the Diploma certificate copy for the first time in the instant proceedings just as he admitted variations in the signature, logo, and seal.

However, Atiku, while speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, October 5, said the controversy surrounding Tinubu’s academic records has affected Nigerians across the world.

The former Vice President said: “It should not take months or, indeed, decades, for the institutions concerned to be able to do their work in establishing the credibility of any certificates presented by candidates for public office.

“We undertook this journey at great cost and for important reasons. The ground rules for legitimate governance in our country need to be upheld, and the reputation of our country is at stake. That affects everyone, Nigerians everywhere.

READ ALSO: Atiku: I’ll drop my case against Tinubu if…

“I am a democrat by conviction and a citizen of a country that I love. The issues at stake in this case require us once more to re-dedicate ourselves to both the country and our constitution.”

Atiku further hailed late human rights lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), whom he said inspired his team on “this path of discovery”, just as he thanked his lawyers in Nigeria and U.S. “who have assisted us in bringing clarity and definitive answers to these issues that appear to have defied our institutions for nearly a quarter of a century.

“I also want to extend my gratitude to Nigerian citizens and friends of Nigeria both within and beyond the shores of our country for their patience as we have sought to find the facts and establish the truth.

“I wish to pay tribute to the late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, who inspired us on this path of discovery. Now, he can truly rest in peace in the assurance that what he started about 23 years ago has come to fruition.

“Gani’s vindication today gives credence to the saying that no matter how fast a lie runs, the truth will someday overtake it,” he said.

The Star