In a recent development surrounding the allegations of forged certificates against Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the BBC’s Global Disinformation Team has found no evidence to support these claims. The controversy arose following the release of President Tinubu’s academic records by Chicago State University (CSU) last week, as part of a judicial case filed by one of his political rivals. The president’s main opponent in the presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, accused him of falsifying his CSU diploma in Business Administration awarded in 1979, which he submitted to the electoral authority (Inec). However, after analyzing the evidence, it is evident that there is no substance to support these allegations.
The release of President Tinubu’s academic records was a result of a legal battle initiated by Atiku Abubakar in August. Seeking to disqualify the president, Abubakar approached a US court to request the release of Mr Tinubu’s academic documents through the discovery process. Despite the opposition from Mr Tinubu’s lawyers citing privacy concerns, the court ruled in favor of proceeding with the discovery application. The documents requested by Mr Abubakar were seven diplomas, covering various disciplines, with the names of the students redacted. According to CSU’s registrar, these diplomas had not been collected by the students.
One of the key claims made on social media and during a press conference by one of Mr Abubakar’s lawyers was that the diplomas released by CSU confirmed the forgery of the diploma submitted by Mr Tinubu. However, a thorough analysis of the evidence refutes this claim. The discrepancy in the appearance of Mr Tinubu’s diploma arises from the fact that it was re-issued in the 1990s. CSU’s registrar confirmed that the university has undergone various changes to its diploma template over the years, and any re-issued diploma would resemble the template at the time of re-issue. Three of the diplomas released by CSU from the 1990s bore a striking resemblance to Mr Tinubu’s diploma submitted to Inec, further disproving the forgery claims.
Another claim made by a fact-checking organization in Nigeria was that the diploma submitted by Mr Tinubu did not match the format of CSU diplomas, as it did not include the phrase “with honors.” However, upon investigation, it was discovered that this detail was present in Mr Tinubu’s diploma issued in the early 2000s, which was authenticated by CSU’s registrar during his deposition. CSU has also expressed confidence in the veracity and integrity of its records regarding Mr Tinubu’s attendance and graduation.
Additionally, a circulating allegation on social media suggested that a person with the name Bola A Tinubu attending CSU was actually female. However, CSU’s registrar clarified that there was no confusion about the gender of the individual, as the university used multiple factors, including the Social Security Number (SSN), to authenticate the student’s identity. The released documents did raise questions about Mr Tinubu’s birth date and the secondary school he attended, as there were inconsistencies. However, it was suggested that these discrepancies could be due to human error.
In conclusion, the investigation conducted by the BBC’s Global Disinformation Team has found no evidence to support the allegations of forgery against Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The release of his academic records by Chicago State University (CSU) disproves the claims made on social media and by his political opponents. Therefore, it is essential to exercise caution and critically evaluate the information circulating on social media platforms, as unsubstantiated claims can have significant consequences in the political landscape.