Peter Obi: Nigeria Needs Leaders with Verified Credentials, Genuine Identities

Segun James

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the recent general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has said Nigeria needs political officeholders who have an identity and authentic credentials.

Obi said this in the United States where there is an ongoing case on President Bola Tinubu’s academic record.
Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Symposium at Princeton University, US at the weekend, Obi who is one of those who filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the tribunal’s ruling that upheld Tinubu’s victory, said Nigerians must start working towards a country driven by competence and commitment to fighting corruption.

He submitted that leaders in Africa’s biggest economy must be committed to the rule of law.
“We must have leadership that is committed to the rule of law… that has an identity and credentials that can be verified. We can start thinking of a new Nigeria with competence, and capacity that is committed to fighting corruption. Is it possible to fight corruption? The answer is yes!

“The trouble with Nigeria is self-inflicted. If Achebe was alive, he would have taken back the book. When he wrote it, there was no trouble. Now, there is real trouble in Nigeria. Rascality has become a measure of success in Nigeria. That must change,” he noted.

Recall that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who contested the presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently digging for the academic and personal records of Tinubu, from the Chicago State University (CSU).

A court presided over by Judge Geoffrey T. Gilbert had ruled in favour of Atiku, ordering CSU to release Tinubu’s record, but the Nigerian president has urged the court not to grant all Atiku’s requests.
Tinubu had since filed a motion challenging the Northern District of Illinois order directing the Chicago State University to release his academic records within two days.

In the motion, Tinubu contended that the district court breached the US Constitution by acting as a final court in such matters of discovery.
He argued that a magistrate should only report and recommend to the district judge in such matters and not to make a final order for immediate compliance.