The Presidency has reiterated its stance that the certificate presented by President Bola Tinubu to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not forged.

Temitope Ajayi, Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, stated that Chicago State University (CSU) confirmed the authenticity of the certificate and denied any involvement in replacing lost certificates.

Ajayi explained that CSU, under oath, affirmed that Tinubu attended and graduated from the university with honors. The university clarified that the responsibility for replacing lost certificates falls on vendors, not the institution itself. Ajayi emphasized that the claim of certificate forgery against President Tinubu lacks credibility since one cannot forge academic records they already possess.

In response to a petition by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, CSU released Tinubu’s academic records as ordered by the court. Atiku had requested the documents to support his allegation of forgery against Tinubu. However, the presidential election court dismissed the allegation of forgery among others in Atiku’s lawsuit challenging Tinubu’s election.

The reaffirmation of the authenticity of President Tinubu’s certificate from CSU strengthens the position that the certificate presented to INEC is genuine and dispels the allegations of forgery.