By Fawaz Adebisi
Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has expressed astonishment at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s educational background, raising questions about how he attained a university degree without prior primary or secondary education.
In a tweet on Sunday, Atiku conveyed his perplexity about the current state of affairs.
He pointed out that in 1999, Tinubu claimed to have attended St. John’s Primary School in Lagos and later pursued education at Children Home School in Ibadan.
According to Tinubu’s previous accounts, he furthered his studies at Government College Ibadan, Richard Daley College, and Chicago State University in the United States.
Atiku found it baffling that in 2023, Tinubu’s educational records indicated only his enrollment at Chicago State University.
Atiku raised the query of how such a shift in educational trajectory could occur, especially regarding Tinubu’s attainment of a university degree without completing primary and secondary education.
He invited well-meaning Nigerians to join him in seeking clarification on this issue and proposed the hashtag #AskTinubu, aimed at unraveling and understanding Tinubu’s unconventional journey to acquiring a university degree.
Atiku wrote: “I woke up this morning wondering how we got to this cul de sac. In 1999, @officialABAT claimed he attended St. John’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos, before proceeding to Children Home School in Ibadan. According to him, his next port of call in his educational journey was Government College Ibadan and, Richard Daley College and Chicago State University in the United States.
“Curiously, in 2023, Tinubu settled with attending only @ChicagoState. I am scratching my head. How is that possible? Methinks that all well-meaning Nigerians should be as confused as I am with Tinubu’s declaration that he had no primary and secondary education, yet he has a university degree. You may wish to #AskTinubu how he attained this feat so that we can learn from his ingenuity.”
These comments from Atiku coincide with his and Peter Obi’s challenge against President Tinubu’s election and eligibility.
The challenge is currently before the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC).
