The Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate for this year’s elections, Peter Obi, has issued a challenge to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Obi urged Tinubu to reveal his true identity in order to spare the nation from the shame associated with his “controversial personality,Daily Trust reports.
During a media conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Obi expressed his distress as he had been closely following the recent identity crisis that unfolded in the American Court System, as well as the controversy surrounding the authenticity of Tinubu’s credentials from Chicago State University (CSU). He mentioned that this ongoing controversy has generated significant media attention both within Nigeria and abroad, which has raised questions about Nigeria’s overall credibility.
Obi stated, “The controversy is unnecessary, and the global embarrassment could have been avoided. In my opinion, Chief Bola Tinubu should have spared the nation and himself from this protracted embarrassment and undue anxiety.”
ALSO READ: World Mental Health Day: Mental Ill-health, A Hidden Pandemic In Nigeria
He called upon Tinubu to step forward and clarify his identity, providing essential information such as his name, place of birth, parentage, the primary and secondary schools he attended with dates, the universities he attended, certificates obtained, and specifics about his National Youth Service, if applicable. Obi also emphasized that if Tinubu ever changed his name, he should provide the circumstances surrounding the change.
Obi made it clear that this task should be undertaken directly by Chief Bola Tinubu and not outsourced to political surrogates, spokespersons, lawyers, or any other individuals. He stressed that a leader’s personal identity is a matter of great importance, intimately tied to the functions of the office they hold, and should not be trifled with or disguised under officialdom.
He further emphasized, “As a leader of a nation of over 200 million Nigerians, his true identity is a matter of grave national and international interest. The people deserve to know with certainty the true identity of their leader, and this overrides whatever rights he may have to personal privacy.”
Obi also pointed out that, having run for the position of President of Nigeria, Tinubu implicitly agreed to relinquish certain rights of a private citizen in favor of open disclosure of his true identity and other details of public interest. He emphasized that this disclosure is essential for maintaining personal integrity, the legitimacy of the office Tinubu holds, and the respect of the Nigerian nation within the global community.
When asked about the format for the identity clarification, Obi suggested that President Tinubu should personally address Nigerians and the world in a manner similar to the press conference that he (Obi) had conducted.
