A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alwan Hassan, has defended President Bola Tinubu over renewed controversies surrounding his academic credentials, insisting that the opposition has no valid constitutional basis for challenging the President’s qualification to contest elections.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Hassan argued that the Nigerian Constitution requires only a school certificate or its equivalent as part of the qualifications for the office of the President.
According to him, the constitutional provision on a school certificate equivalent includes the ability to read and write, adding that academic qualifications alone do not determine leadership capacity or success.
To support his argument, Hassan cited Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, noting that although Gates did not complete his studies at Harvard University, he went on to become one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.
The APC chieftain also maintained that President Tinubu’s performance in office should be the focus of public assessment rather than debates over his educational background.
Reacting to allegations surrounding Tinubu’s academic records, Hassan insisted that claims that the President submitted a fake certificate from Chicago State University were unfounded, arguing that the institution has never officially declared the certificate attributed to Tinubu as fake.
His comments come amid renewed public debate over the academic credentials submitted by President Tinubu to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The controversy has continued to generate reactions from political stakeholders, with opposition parties maintaining their scrutiny of the President’s credentials, while members of the APC insist that the constitutional requirements for qualification have been fully met.
