The National Publicity Secretary of the Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party (LP), Abayomi Arabambi, has alleged that there is a “discrepancy” in the credentials submitted to the party by its presidential candidate in the 25 February election, Peter Obi.
Mr Arabambi made the allegation at a press briefing in Abuja, while reacting to Mr Obi’s earlier press conference on the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s certificate released by the Chicago State University (CSU).
Arabambi said he was among the committee members who screened Obi before the party’s presidential primary, claimed that the name written on Obi’s academic certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), was different from the name his NYSC certificate carries.
“I was part of the people who did the screening for him. In the form EC9, we gave him, he wrote that he attended the University of Nigeria Nsukka and he wrote that he finished his youth service but unfortunately, in the final submission of the form he only submitted his school certificate,” he said.
Mr Arabambi explained that something was “fishy” because the name Mr Obi’s school sent for mobilisation was not what was written on his NYSC certificate.
At a press briefing in Abuja, on wednesday the LP candidate challenged President Bola Tinubu to unveil his true identity to save the image of the country.
Noted that Nigerians deserved to know for a certainty the true identity of their leader and that this overrides whatever rights the president may have to his privacy.
He further stated that the international community deserved to know the true identity of the president with whom they will engage in Nigeria.
Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, explained that the Chicago State University saga certificate and the lingering identity question marks of the president have worsened the country’s “less-than-glorious image internationally. ”
Mr Arabambi said he does not understand what the LP presidential candidate wants to achieve with his recent moves and utterances.
“This destination that he is going to, I don’t know what he wants to achieve. We have before the Supreme Court his own petition and the pleadings are not there, you are now calling out someone to come and reveal his true identity.
“For us, we don’t know the true identity of Peter Obi even in the Labour Party because everything was shrouded in secrecy at that time between him and Abure in Asaba,” he said.
“You know we were rushing because we had just a day to do our presidential primary and that was why he was able to get away with it, but we have it on record that Obi’s name on his NYSC certificate and the one on his University of Nigeria, Nsukka certificate are different,” the factional spokesperson said.
