Ali Ndume, former senate leader and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged opposition parties to focus their 2027 campaigns on policies and ideas that can attract voters rather than dwelling on President Bola Tinubu’s academic credentials.
Ndume, who represents Borno south in the senate, spoke on Monday as political parties commence campaigns ahead of the January 2027 presidential election.
He said opposition parties and their presidential candidates should present Nigerians with clear alternatives to the Tinubu administration’s policies.
The senator’s comments followed concerns raised by some opposition figures over Tinubu’s educational credentials, particularly the absence of entries for his primary and secondary education in his submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Tinubu listed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University in 1979, and attached copies of his certificate, as well as his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
Ndume said Tinubu had met the constitutional requirement to qualify to contest the presidency, arguing that the 1999 Constitution does not prescribe a secondary school certificate as the only means of meeting the minimum educational threshold.
“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 in a statement.
The senator said the provision states that a person is qualified for election as president if “he has been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent”.
Ndume said the controversy over Tinubu’s certificate was distracting from issues that should form the basis of the 2027 campaign.
“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.”
He urged the opposition to scrutinise the administration’s economic policies and performance on security while presenting credible alternatives to voters.
“It is his economic policies and how his administration has been able to tackle insecurity with landmark success that they should try and interrogate,” Ndume said.
The senator argued that Tinubu had been in office for more than three years and should therefore be assessed primarily on his record 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 added that opposition parties should raise the quality of political debate “beyond the mundane” as campaigns progress.
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