The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has broken its silence after the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu claimed his certificates were stolen by unknown persons.
Tinubu had made the claim in an affidavit submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as part of his eligibility filings for the 2023 presidential elections.
The former Governor of Lagos State stated this in documents released last Friday by INEC.
Tinubu, however, noted that he obtained a degree in business and administration in 1979 at the Chicago State University.
In a chat with The PUNCH on Monday, NNPP National Publicity Secretary Agbo Major stated that the allegation that Tinubu submitted false academic qualifications to INEC is still speculation.
Major, however, stated that declaring documents whose physical copies are not accompanying them is perjury, adding that the crime is a punishable offense under the law.
The NNPP spokesman, therefore, asked the electoral umpire to clear the air on the certificate controversy.
He said, “This whole certificate drama is still within the realm of speculation. These certificates, if they are there, are to be submitted to the INEC as support documents accompanying his EC9.
“Declaring documents which physical copies are not accompanying them is perjury. This is the same as submitting documents that are not real. It is a punishable offence under the constitution as well as the Electoral Act to lie on oath.
“It is, therefore, the job of INEC to clear the air on this drama but the obvious advantage is that Nigerians are now showing more interest and interrogating the process.”
