Ali Ndume says opposition parties should sell Nigerians their policies instead of making Tinubu’s academic credentials a campaign issue.
Ali Ndume, former senate leader and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged opposition parties to focus on policies and alternative solutions as they campaign for the 2027 presidential election.
Ndume, who represents Borno South in the Senate, said opposition candidates should tell Nigerians what they would do differently from President Bola Tinubu’s administration rather than making his academic credentials the centre of their campaigns.
His comments came amid renewed concerns from some opposition figures over Tinubu’s educational background, particularly the absence of entries for his primary and secondary education in documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Tinubu listed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, obtained in 1979, and attached copies of his degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
Ndume stated that Tinubu had satisfied the constitutional educational requirement for the presidency, saying the 1999 Constitution does not prescribe a secondary school certificate as the only qualification.
“The constitution only establishes a minimum educational threshold, but it does not insist on the particularity of a secondary school certificate as the only means by which that threshold can be met,” Ndume said.
He referred to the constitutional provision stating that a person is qualified to contest for president if “he has been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent”.
The senator said the continued focus on Tinubu’s certificate was distracting from the issues that should shape the 2027 election.
“The narrative around his certificate, in my opinion, is distracting,” he said.
“What opposition parties’ presidential candidates and their spokespersons should focus on are their alternative economic policies, if they have any. What can they do better than President Tinubu? They should come out and tell Nigerians.”
Ndume challenged opposition parties to scrutinise the administration’s economic policies and record on insecurity while offering voters credible alternatives.
“It is his economic policies and how his administration has been able to tackle insecurity with landmark success that they should try and interrogate,” he said.
The senator said Tinubu had been in office for more than three years and should therefore be assessed primarily on his performance as president.
“He has been in office for over three years now. So, how can the narrative around his certificates be the focus of his challengers?” he asked.
Ndume urged opposition parties to raise the quality of political debate and take their campaigns “beyond the mundane” as the 2027 election approaches.