By Austin Ogwuda
WHILST many Nigerians including the opposition camps and that of President Bola Tinubu loyalists are engaged in serious verbal warfare over the alarming contradictions found in the controversial certificate allegedly issued by the Chicago State University, one of Tibubu’s legal team has opened up.
Although he didn’t apologize to Nigerians for the embarrassing situation the certificate scandal has placed the country especially in the face of the international community but agreed that there was actually “a mix-up” on the part of the University in the entire saga.
Barrister Wole Afolabi who appeared on Channels Television, tagged ‘Politics Today’ explained why the certificate indicated (F) purporting that the owner of the certificate is a female gender.
According to the lawyer, Tinubu’s certificate indicated female as a result of a mix-up on the part of the University.
The dust being raised about the certificate followed the request by the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, having filed a case at the District Court, Northern Illinois, the United States requesting for the release of the Tibubu’s academic records which was granted.
When the question was put to him why Tinubu’s certificate indicates “F” during the interview, Afolabi said “the transcript that was provided by Southwest College indicated F. It was clear. All of the other particulars did match information of President Bola Tinubu.
“Now, the Registrar was interviewed on why the discrepancies; he said the person applying for the school ticked the box of a male not a female and when the admission letter was issued it was issued to Mr Tinubu.
“When the question was put to Dr West Brown, he said it is not unusual for Universities to mix up. He (West Brown) has been to several Universities. It is possible.
”Reacting to discrepancies on the signatures on the certificate, Afolabi further said that certificates were not issued at the time of graduation, until one applied for them.
Afolabi while totally absolved Tinubu from the alleged ‘mix-up’ posited that it might be the person who issued the certificate Tinubu submitted to INEC might not have been in the University in year 1979.
