Tinubu says his age and academic records have been consistent.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has replied to critics of his age and academic records, saying there is no truth to allegations of discrepancies.
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He spoke at the Chatham House in London, United Kingdom, on Monday.
There have been a series of allegations against Tinubu in the public space regarding his age and educational background.
Although the APC presidential candidate had his 70th birthday celebration on March 29, 2022, his opponents continue to raise questions about his age.
According to the allegations, the profile published during his inauguration stated that he was born in 1952, and the age on his transcript at the Chicago State University claimed that he was born in 1954. Some have also alleged that he never attended the American university.
However, answering questions about his background at the interactive session chaired by Dr Alex Vines, the Managing Director, Ethics, Risk, and Resilience at Chatham House, Tinubu dismissed the allegations as false.
He noted that his date of birth has always been March 29, 1952. He also dismissed insinuations that his academic records at the Chicago State University had a different date of birth, adding that the university has confirmed his attendance.
“My date of birth is March 2. 1952. My records are consistent. In the school and the university. The transcripts are there. I’m not claiming another father. I’m Tinubu and Tinubu proper,” the former Lagos governor said at the session monitored by Eko Hot Blog.
“If they want DNA, they should request for one. One of my opponents has been accused of not being a Nigerian citizen. The Chicago State University has attested that I graduated from the school. I’ve received my replacement certificate from them.”
Tinubu also addressed questions surrounding his professional career, noting that he was prepared to face dirty allegations since he joined the race to be president.
“Mobil has confirmed my excellent work records. I reached the highest levels of the company while I was there,” he said.
“Who among them can brag about it? If you want to wrestle with the pig, you have to be a bear. I expected these false accusations to be thrown around.”
On the APC presidential candidate’s refusal to attend town halls and debates in Nigeria, he said he would not allow TV stations to use him to make money.
“I see myself as a marketable individual. They want to use me to make money; I’m saying no,” Tinubu said.
Earlier, the former governor declined to participate in the presidential town hall meeting of Arise Television.
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The APC presidential campaign committee also knocked the organisers of the town hall meeting for repeatedly promoting the event using the candidate’s image and name, despite earlier notification that he won’t attend.
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