A group concerned with civil rights The Center for Reform and Public Advocacy has handed the (IGP) Inspector-General of Police a 48-hour ultimatum to arrest and commence criminal prosecution against Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, for allegedly using bogus academic credentials to earn the nomination.
The organization vowed to sue the IGP for an order of mandamus to compel him to arrest Tinubu at the end of the deadline if he failed to act.
Agu Kalu, the Legal Adviser of the CRPA and a human rights attorney, delivered the threat on Saturday during a news conference in Abuja.
Babatunde Ogala (SAN), Director (Legal Directorate), Tinubu Campaign Organisation, claimed that they were prepared to defend themselves against the threats and charges when called.
He highlighted that the APC presidential candidate had followed all Electoral Act regulations.
Kalu argued that the former Lagos State governor was not constitutionally qualified to become the next President of Nigeria in 2023 because he provided fraudulent information under oath on form EC-9, filed to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The legal practitioner alleged, among other things, that in 1999 Bola Tinubu claimed to have attended Saint Paul Aroloya Children’s Home School, Ibadan, between 1958 and 1964 and Government College, Ibadan, between 1965 and 1969, only to claim in 2022 that he never attended any elementary or secondary school in his EC9 form.
Kalu, who produced a Certified True Copy ad-hoc report of the Lagos State House of Assembly, which probed the former governor in 1999, stated that Tinubu admitted unequivocally to academic credential irregularities.
He stated that the probe of Tinubu’s academic qualifications in 1999 was the result of a petition made by the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, a prominent legal luminary and social activist (SAN).
According to him, CRPA’s plea for Tinubu’s arrest and prosecution was sent to the IGP on June 16. However, the police authorities have not judged it appropriate to conduct his arrest as of yet.
According to the constitution, nobody is above the law, and Kalu asked that the IGP and police carry out their constitutional duties without fear or favor.
The activist stated that if he was proven to have fabricated false claims against Tinubu, he should be arrested and charged appropriately in court.
The Abuja attorney added that his group’s demand for Tinubu’s arrest was not motivated by politics, but rather by the need for good governance and transparent leadership that Nigeria deserved in the 2023 general election.
Forms submitted to INEC by Tinubu in 1999 and 2022 for verification were among the essential documents attached to the petition delivered to the IGP and acknowledged by his office.