Tinubu’s Chicago State University certificate fake – Kenneth Okonkwo, says priority is to remove him from power in 2027

African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has reignited the long-running controversy over President Bola Tinubu’s academic credentials, alleging that the Chicago State University (CSU) certificate presented by the President did not originate from the institution.

Okonkwo, however, said the opposition should not allow the certificate controversy to overshadow what he considers the bigger political objective ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a post on X, the ADC chieftain declared:

“Tinubu’s Chicago State University certificate did not emanate from the University, it is fake. “The most important thing in 2027 is to get Tinubu out of power.”

His comments come against the backdrop of a bitter academic-record controversy that has followed Tinubu from the 2023 presidential election.

What the Chicago records showed

The issue is more complicated than a simple claim that Tinubu never attended Chicago State University.

Records released by CSU in 2023 confirmed that a person bearing Tinubu’s name attended the university and graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

The dispute has instead centred largely on the particular diploma submitted to Nigeria’s electoral commission.

During proceedings in the United States, CSU said it could not authenticate the specific diploma Tinubu submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while confirming that he attended the university and graduated.

The controversy became particularly heated after differences emerged between the diploma submitted to INEC and documents released by CSU, including variations in dates, wording, signatures and formatting.

A separate analysis by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism argued that the replacement certificate submitted to INEC did not emanate from CSU, pointing to differences between it and samples of certificates issued by the university.

However, the allegation should not be presented as an established fact. The BBC’s Global Disinformation Team reached a different conclusion in its examination of the documents, reporting that there was no evidence that Tinubu forged the diploma. Its analysis noted that the disputed diploma resembled other replacement diplomas released by CSU.

Nigeria’s Supreme Court also later rejected an argument that the CSU records established that Tinubu had submitted a forged certificate, noting that CSU had confirmed providing a diploma and certified copy to him.

Okonkwo shifts attention to 2027

Rather than dwelling on the unresolved arguments surrounding the certificate, Okonkwo urged Nigerians and opposition politicians to concentrate on the next presidential election.

His position is that the central political question for 2027 should be whether Tinubu remains in office, rather than allowing the academic controversy to dominate opposition strategy.

Okonkwo also called on people from the South-East to rethink their political alliances if the region is to realise its long-standing aspiration of producing Nigeria’s president.

“Ndigbo needs wise alignment with other people to achieve being President in Nigeria.”

He further expressed confidence in former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is associated with the ADC opposition coalition, promising that an Atiku-led administration would pursue a fundamental reset of the country.

“Atiku will establish a transitional and transformational government to rebuild Nigeria that Tinubu is destroying,” he added.

The comments effectively turn the certificate controversy into a broader 2027 campaign argument: for Okonkwo, the debate over Tinubu’s academic credentials may remain politically useful, but the ultimate test will be whether the opposition can build the alliances necessary to defeat the incumbent at the ballot box.