Timi Frank, the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Friday, called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to urgently investigate the authorities of Chicago State University (CSU) over their curious reluctance to release relevant academic records of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

Frank, who made this request via a statement made available to TheGuardian, said the probe has become necessary to determine the authenticity of the certificates offered to Americans who graduated from the university that have now been called to question by President Tinubu’s  claims that the university awarded him with a certificate that was littered with errors by an unnamed employee of the institution which he had tendered before Nigerian authorities.

He said in order that law abiding Nigerians are not made to believe that there is a level of compromise and complicity by the university in trying to shield Tinubu’s academic record claims from public scrutiny, independent institutions in the US need to step in.

He insisted the intervention is necessary because in previous electoral claims by Tinubu, he had also blamed errors in his academic record on other third parties.

Frank said rather than allow Tinubu’s current claims of errors by unstated third parties in CSU, the university authorities owe the American and Nigerian public the duty to publicly state the facts as they are, that Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu, male, born in 1952, attended the University and submitted credentials that are accessible to the Nigerian court system.

In his statement, he also pointed out that the alleged fake certificates are available on the Chicago State University’s website for fake certificates, and he called on the university to release the documents for public scrutiny.

Frank said: “Tinubu’s records are public documents because the Chicago State University is a public academic institution and not a secret cult organisation. After all, the fake certificate being paraded by Tinubu  are on the website  created by CSU for fake certificates and that of Tinubu is there as a bad imitation of the genuine Bola Tinubu (female).

“Tinubu is also a public servant that is duty bound to be accountable to Nigerians if he has nothing to hide or if the academic records he claims from the university are genuine.

“Or better still, if there is nothing fishy between him and the university, we believe the university should be proud to showcase the records of its former students by releasing them on demand except they have been compromised.

“If Tinubu’s certificate is genuine and something he is proud of, he should have allowed the university to release it to the public because he’s serving the public as he claims.”

Frank urged CSU not to ruin its image and reputation through conduct inimical to its integrity by refusing to release required records.

He compared the situation to the accountability expected of public office holders in the United States, citing the trial of former President Donald Trump as an example of how American institutions hold leaders accountable. He emphasised that Nigerians have the right to challenge the legitimacy of public office holders and called on the US to support a democratic, transparent, and fair electoral process in Nigeria.

He added: “If Tinubu is the president of America and American citizens request for his academic information, will they not grant the request?

“They will do because every president of America and those holding public offices are answerable to the public; that underpins the principle of accountability.

“If Donald Trump could be on trial, why will someone seeking public office in Nigeria be shielded from scrutiny at the point of entry by public institutions in America? Is it that the president of Nigeria is not meant to be accountable to the citizenry?

“This is why we are calling on the American Secret Service – FBI and CIA – to investigate this clear act of possible bias on the part of Chicago State University because it does not speak well of CSU.

“Except, of course, it is a conspiracy of the United States and the Chicago State University to cover the illegality between Tinubu and Nigerians to be able to manipulate him for U.S interest.

“This would therefore mean they don’t care whether there is a legitimate or illegitimate government in the country.”
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