Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has challenged opposition parties to take the 2027 presidential campaign beyond President Bola Tinubu’s academic credentials and present Nigerians with clear alternatives.
Ndume, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the opposition should focus on the economy, insecurity and other issues affecting Nigerians instead of making Tinubu’s certificate the centre of its campaign.
He spoke in a statement issued to journalists in Abuja on Monday.
His comments came amid renewed debate over Tinubu’s educational records, following concerns raised by some opposition figures about entries in the president’s EC9 nomination form.
Tinubu listed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, United States, obtained in 1979. Copies of his degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate were also submitted with his nomination documents.
Ndume dismissed the controversy as a distraction, arguing that the Constitution does not prescribe a particular secondary school certificate as the only means of satisfying the minimum educational requirement for a presidential candidate.
He cited Section 131(d) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that a presidential candidate must have been educated to at least school certificate level or its equivalent.
According to him, Tinubu’s eligibility for the presidency has also been tested through legal challenges arising from the 2023 presidential election.
“The narrative around his certificate, in my opinion, is distracting,” Ndume said.
The senator urged opposition candidates to explain how their policies would improve the lives of Nigerians if elected.
“What can they do better than President Tinubu? They should come out and tell Nigerians,” he said.
Ndume also urged the opposition to scrutinise Tinubu’s economic policies and record on insecurity, rather than dwell on issues he described as settled.
“He has been in office for over three years now. So, how can the narrative around his certificates be the focus of his challengers?” he asked.
He said the 2027 election should be a contest of ideas and performance, adding that opposition parties must give voters convincing reasons to support their candidates.
“I think as we progress in the campaigns, the opposition should elevate the discourse beyond the mundane,” Ndume said.