Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has said he didn’t think leaders needed “to have all the degrees in the world to be great” but he thought it was important to be “honourable about your past so we know who exactly you are”.
“The world abounds with great people who have a poor past and no education but that formed part of their greatness”.
Mr Obi did not mention any person by name but he was a presidential rival to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu who is currently embroiled in a controversy regarding an alleged forged certificate he presented from the Chicago State University (CSU) to be eligible to contest the election.
Another Presidential rival, Atiku Abubakar is challenging the CSU in an Illinois Court in the United States to come clean on whether Alhaji Tinubu attended the college as he claims. If Tinubu’s claim is found to be false, it could have far-reaching consequences for his political career according to Nigeria’s laws and could lead to his disqualification as the elected president.
Mr Obi was being interviewed on Monday 3 October on Nigeria’s prime-time tv morning show The Morning Show on Arise TV.
“You don’t have to go to school to be a great leader. Many great leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, Winston Churchill etc. had educational challenges”, continued Obi, repeating his longstanding mantra; “The process through which people come into office is far more fundamental than the office itself. You cannot come in through the window and start to clean the house. You lack the moral right to do the right things. This is an issue of honour and integrity.”
“It is a foundation on which you build a society. Look around and see the number of certificate forgery issues in the country and you’d know it’s not good for the morale of the country”.
In the February 2023 election, Mr Obi ran on the record of a clean outsider untainted by the notorious corruption and sleaze of Nigeria’s political class. Although he came third behind Tinubu and Abubakar, according to official tallies, his supporters continue to claim he was rigged out as the real winner of the election.
Bola Tinubu on his part continues to be embattled by all kinds of allegations from illicit drug trade to corruption and educational and identity theft.
Nigeria’s Supreme Court is currently hearing both Obi and Abubakar’s appeal after the primary election petition court threw out their challenge to Tinubu’s victory.
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