Posted by On Wednesday, Peter Obi, who is running for president as the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the general elections of 2023, spoke at a news conference in Abuja, which is the capital city of Nigeria.
The problem over Obi's identity and his academic records at Chicago State University was brought to Obi's attention through the usage of this media, and he called on President Bola Tinubu to address it publicly and provide clarification.
In addition to that, he addressed the national and international shame that the episode has caused for Nigeria.
COMPLETE TEXT:
As a Nigerian, I must admit that the recent lengthy identity crisis that has been playing out in the American court system as well as the debate surrounding the authenticity of Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu's credentials from Chicago State University have left me feeling disturbed. I have followed both of these events.
In addition to the barrage of media frenzy that the matter has triggered both domestically and internationally, I have had the unwholesome burden of responding to embarrassing questions about Nigeria's overall credibility as a nation to privileged audiences and individuals both domestically and internationally in various parts of the world where I have traveled in recent months. These questions have been directed toward me both domestically and internationally in privileged settings.
The controversy surrounding the CSU in its whole, in addition to the many unanswered questions surrounding Bola Ahmed Tinubu's identity, has further damaged Nigeria's already tarnished reputation on the world stage. Uninformed foreigners have the incorrect impression that every other Nigerian is either a fraudster, a particular forger, or an identity thief. The debate is pointless, and it would have been possible to steer clear of any potential disgrace on a worldwide scale had it not been for it.
In my opinion, Chief Bola Tinubu should have done something else in order to spare the country and himself from this prolonged humiliation and unnecessary anguish. Even though it is late in the day, he is still required to pay a simple debt of obligation to the nation as well as the world, and he is the only one who can do so.
I am making an appeal to him to promptly and personally ascend the rostrum of his current high office in order to carry out a straightforward assignment once and for all. For the sake of dispelling any remaining uncertainty, he ought to reacquaint himself with the people of the country he leads as well as the rest of the world.
It is imperative that he discloses his whole identity to the public, including his full name, nationality, place of birth, parents' names, the names of the primary and secondary schools he attended, along with the dates he attended each one, as well as the real universities he attended and the credentials he got. It is imperative that he make it very clear when and where he completed his National Youth Service. In addition, he needs to make it very apparent that he has changed his name, along with the circumstances surrounding the change, at any point in his life. That is not a crime in and of itself.
This uncomplicated activity should not take more than a few minutes to complete. There is no need for documents, drawn-out judicial proceedings, spokespersons, agents, or surrogates in this scenario. This is a job that can be done successfully only by Chief Bola Tinubu himself, and he may do so by making a direct personal remark. It is imperative that he do this duty as quickly as possible in order to put to rest, once and for all, the numerous questions that have been asked and the suspicions that have been made regarding his real identity.
No matter how highly positioned they are, a leader cannot delegate to political surrogates, social spokespersons, lawyers, or any other individuals the responsibility of providing a clear and unmistakable personal declaration about his identity.
A matter concerning the personal identification of a leader is one that should never be tested, outsourced, or concealed under the pretext of officialdom because it is too sensitive and too important to the tasks of the office that the leader currently holds.
It is also about honesty, morality, morals, and the rule of law, all of which deny the essence of the nation and the people who live within it. His true identity is a topic of significant national and international curiosity given his current position as the head of state for a country with a population of over 200 million people.
The people have a right to know with absolute certainty the genuine identity of their leader, and this takes precedence over any rights he may have to maintain his privacy as an individual.
In addition, the worldwide community has a right to be informed of the genuine identity of the individual in Nigeria with whom they will be conducting business.
Chief Bola Tinubu has implicitly undertaken to cede the rights of a private citizen in favor of a life of open disclosure of his true identity and other circumstances that may be of public interest because he has stood for election to the elevated public office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is because Chief Bola Tinubu has run for election to the position of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Anything less would be a violation of his personal integrity.
That much, and much more, is required from him in order to maintain the legitimacy of the office he currently holds. It is much more imperative and mandatory given the respect for the integrity and esteem of the Nigerian country within the community of countries that exists inside the world.
It is time to act in a morally responsible manner.
We pray for the continued success of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.