2027: Lawmaker, lawyers slam Atiku over Tinubu credentials controversy

August 28, 2026 2:12 am

As political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, a member of the House of Representatives and a group of lawyers and policy analysts have criticised the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, over his renewed focus on President Bola Tinubu’s United States record, academic and National Youth Service Corps credentials.

They described the former Vice-President’s actions, including his fresh legal challenge to Tinubu’s eligibility and request to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for records relating to the President, as distractions from the issues confronting Nigerians.

The lawmaker representing Agege Federal Constituency, Dr Wale Ahmed, and the group, The Progressive Counsel, made their positions known in separate statements on Wednesday.

Ahmed described the renewed controversy surrounding Tinubu’s academic and NYSC credentials as a political distraction ahead of the 2027 elections, urging opposition politicians to focus on presenting alternative solutions to the challenges facing Nigerians.

The lawmaker spoke following reports that Atiku had commenced a fresh legal action at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking Tinubu’s disqualification from the 2027 presidential election over alleged irregularities surrounding his NYSC certificate.

Ahmed said the allegations against the President remained subject to judicial determination, stressing that political claims should not be treated as facts.

“The case remains pending, and the allegations have not been established by a court,” he said.

The lawmaker acknowledged that public officials could be subjected to legitimate scrutiny but argued that the 2027 election should focus more on policies, governance and the ability of candidates to address the country’s challenges.

“Nigerians deserve a campaign of ideas, not an endless recycling of allegations.

“If anybody believes President Tinubu has failed, let that person tell Nigerians what he will do differently and how he will do it,” Ahmed said.

He questioned the continued emphasis on the President’s certificates when issues such as the economy, insecurity, infrastructure and unemployment remained major concerns for Nigerians.

Ahmed also warned against mixing the controversy over Tinubu’s Nigerian academic and NYSC records with a separate legal matter in the United States involving records linked to a historical investigation and civil forfeiture proceedings concerning funds associated with the President.

“There is a difference between legitimate scrutiny and political obsession. If there is a case before a court, let the court determine it. But an election campaign cannot be reduced to litigating the same allegations repeatedly,” he said.

On Atiku’s ambition to contest the 2027 presidential election, Ahmed said he respected the former Vice-President’s political aspirations but argued that the current political arrangement should be considered.

“I respect the life ambition of Atiku to be President, but for now he should know that the Presidency remains in the South. A southerner must have his eight-year tenure, just as the North did between 2015 and 2023,” he said.

Ahmed further claimed that Tinubu was seeking a second term and urged Atiku to support the administration, adding that the former Vice-President could still pursue his presidential ambition at a later time.

“Atiku should know that longevity belongs to God. He could still be President in 2031, only if he retraces his steps to the All Progressives Congress,” the lawmaker added.

The Agege lawmaker maintained that Tinubu should be assessed primarily on his performance in office and the impact of his policies rather than allegations that remain contested.

He reaffirmed his support for the President, saying the country needed continuity and consolidation of the reforms being implemented by the Tinubu administration.

Similarly, The Progressive Counsel criticised Atiku’s recent request to the FBI to release, where legally permissible, records relating to Tinubu.

Atiku had argued that Nigerians had a democratic right to information about the history and character of the man seeking to retain the country’s highest elective office.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice-President said the FBI could protect sensitive law enforcement information without withholding records that could legitimately be disclosed in the public interest.

However, the group described the request as an attempt to revive what it called a “non-existent case of drug conviction against President Bola Tinubu.”

In a statement made available to our correspondent on Wednesday and titled “Atiku must face the constitutional mirror,” the group challenged Atiku to first address the citizenship question allegedly hanging over him before turning his attention to Tinubu.

The statement was signed by the convener of TPC, Maiyegun Oloriegbe.

The group asked Atiku to clarify the issue of whether he was Nigerian or Cameroonian before “dissipating energies” on allegations against Tinubu.

The statement read, “Before Atiku Abubakar challenges President Tinubu’s eligibility for 2027, by digging up a non-existent case of drug conviction against President Tinubu, he must first answer the citizenship question hanging over his own head.”

According to the TPC, Section 131 of the Constitution was clear that a presidential candidate must be a Nigerian citizen by birth.

It added, “If Tinubu’s past can be investigated, investigate Atiku’s. If Tinubu’s academic and foreign records can be dissected, dissect Atiku’s. If Tinubu’s eligibility can be litigated, Atiku’s can be litigated with equal force.”

The statement noted that there was no constitutional immunity for Atiku that warranted any delay in obtaining a legal determination of his citizenship status.

It said, “No special protection for the serial challenger; the same Constitution applies to both men, or it applies to neither.

“President Tinubu is not above the law. Neither is he beneath it. An American document is not a Nigerian judgment. An allegation is not proof.

“A FOIA disclosure is not an automatic disqualification. Political repetition does not create constitutional fact. Nigeria cannot afford a 2027 election that becomes a permanent courthouse campaign.”

The group said it was important for Nigerians to begin debating issues such as the economy, security, jobs, infrastructure and leadership, rather than engaging in “endless mud-slinging lawsuits.”

It said, “Litigation has its place, but it must not replace political persuasion.”

The statement added, “Atiku has every right to challenge Tinubu, but he has no right to demand that only Tinubu faces the constitutional mirror while his own credentials remain untouchable. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander; equality before the law is not optional.

“Let the Constitution speak. Let the evidence speak. Let the courts speak and let Nigerians decide at the ballot box, not through selective outrage and perpetual judicial harassment of a President whose mandate has already been tested.

“No candidate is above the Constitution. No candidate is beneath its protection. And no opponent should be allowed to weaponise the courts indefinitely against the man who won. Atiku wants Tinubu under the microscope. Very well. Let Atiku step in front of it first.”

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